Last week Israel announced that 1,600 new housing units would be constructed for Jewish residents in Arab dominated East Jerusalem. Obama and Biden claimed that this derailed the fragile peace process.What peace process? When has there been one, apart from Obama apologizing on behalf of Western Civilization for all the wrongs it has ever committed, some real, mostly imagined.
Criticizing Israel's decision to construct the units reflects something basic and wrongheaded about Obama's approach. He seems to see East Jerusalem as negotiable. Israel made a strong and necessary concession to peace when they agreed in principle to allow the Palestinians to control Gaza and the West Bank. Those people have the basis to create not just a state, but a prosperous territory based upon the Christian tourist trade, if they would ever just act right and abandon their claims to the rest of Israel. Palestinian leaders refuse to give up the concept of "right of return." This is the idea that they should be allowed to migrate back to homes in Israel, homes they were forced out of three generations ago. If allowed to return, they would soon outnumber Jews and be able to vote the state out of existence.
Obama is unrealistic to think that East Jerusalem will ever return to Arab rule. Jewish people see Jerusalem as their historic capital, as the City of David. Despite that king's personal foibles, he is seen as their greatest king and an important symbol. Israel will never give up any part of Jerusalem unless you pry it from their cold, dead hands.
Again the world sees Obama out of his element. Foreign policy matters overwhelm this administration because they fail to understand what makes diplomacy work. Also, most other countries do not believe that their policies are the root of international violence. It's tough to convince them to take a submissive and apologetic stance as Obama has done for the United States.
He needs to stop trying to organize the world's community and deal with realities.
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