Obama vs. Netanyahu: Colliding World Views

James Phillips / March 18, 2010

The Obama administration has stumbled into a nasty spat with Israel that is based on incompatible views of how best to advance prospects for peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors. For President Barack Obama, peace is best achieved through patiently engaging adversaries, assuring them that their dignity will be respected, educating them on how best to recognize and advance mutual interests, and promoting negotiations to encourage compromise on every issue. For Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has seen several peace negotiations collapse with disastrous consequences, peace must be built on the bedrock of security in careful negotiations with partners who can and will deliver on their commitments.

Netanyahu’s government knows that there is no Palestinian leader who now is willing and able to deliver peace, while the Obama administration glosses over this inconvenient truth. Even if President Mahmoud Abbas, who refuses to meet Israelis in direct talks, could somehow reach an acceptable final status agreement with Israel, he can not guarantee that it will end the conflict. The Palestinian Islamist extremist Hamas movement is the six hundred pound gorilla that can explode any peace agreement he signs with another round of rocket terrorism. Until Hamas, which controls Gaza, is defeated and discredited, there can be no genuine peace. (more…)