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Where Change is Really Needed |
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“We had this debate throughout the campaign, and the whole notion was… is that somehow if we showed courtesy or opened up dialogue with governments that had previously been hostile to us, that that somehow would be a sign of weakness. The American people didn’t buy it. And there’s a good reason the American people didn’t buy it -- because it doesn’t make sense.”
The President has emphatically stated repeatedly that it makes nothing but good sense to talk to our enemies. This common sense practical approach is even being extended to the Taliban in Afghanistan who have killed Americans. Nevertheless, in the most critical of all peace pursuits, in the most enduring contentious conflict in the world—the Israeli Palestinian conflict—this common sense approach is rejected.
The Israeli Palestinian conflict is bloated with traps and pitfalls which would evaporate with the simple application of fairness and some of that common sense change stuff being recommended for every other conflict but this one. Regarding this dispute of the decades, the late king of Jordan famously and prophetically stated “when there is justice there will be peace.” May we add, when there is common sense applied there will be progress in the middle-east peace process.
Hamas, a duly elected Palestinian government in Gaza, and more importantly the main opposition force to Israel, is being excluded from the talks to achieve peace. In the most important conflict impacting both Israel and the United State’s security interest the most sensible approach on which candidate Obama ran is being discarded where it is most critically needed.
Israel has been engaged in an uninterrupted process of seizing Palestinian land and building settlements. Conversely, the Palestinians have never ceased in resisting this oppression and occupation. These are immutable facts on the ground that have not changed for decades.
“Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result that’s the definition of insanity.” That was a statement made famous by Obama during the presidential campaign, yet this is another criteria being ignored in the decision to not talk to Hamas. This means we will continue a practice that hasn’t worked—not talking to Hamas--expecting a different result, go figure that one out.
If there is such a thing as the ideal profile situation for the “change you can believe in” being applied the Israeli Palestinian conflict would appear to be the prototype. This would be the ideal situation to apply all of those common sense dictums articulated during the campaign.
Maybe the sheer force of logic will ultimately prevail. However, this is a conflict that has defied logic, truth, and common sense for more than half a century.
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