Nicholas Kristof: Tough Love for Israel
Nicholas Kristof writes that Obama proved his bona fides towards Israel but that in this case, tough love might be needed. But in Obama's case, the willingness to show tough love will not be an issue. He has already demonstrated his willingness to do so on at least three occasions. The first was when he warned that the impending invasion and occupation of Iraq would be a disaster. The second was when he told our automakers that they would have to accept higher fuel standards that they have been fighting for many years. The third is when he told AIPAC that Israel would have to make significant territorial concessions so that there would be a contiguous Palestinian state in return for a united Jerusalem.
There is already a way to peace -- the UK showed the way back in the 1990's. They showed remarkable restraint in the face of IRA attacks, and over time, they proved, as Kristof points out, that they were sincere about wanting peace. The problem with the Israeli government is that they are not sincere -- they engage in collective punishment in response to rocket attacks, continue to construct settlements and populate them with religious fanatics, and continue to blame the other side instead of looking in the mirror.
Kristof points out that Israel has two fundamental choices here -- they can either continue their policy of perpetual warfare and die a violent death in the long run -- birthrates favor the Palestinians -- or they can accept a two-state solution and show restraint like the UK did. The pathway to peace is clear -- one side or the other must look in the mirror.
But if we are to create conditions where humanity can life its lives in the fullest, I would submit that the problem is not Zionism -- the problem is that it has not been taken far enough. The concept of a refuge for people who have been persecuted is sound -- that is how America was formed and that is how Israel was formed. What we must be able to do is apply that concept equally and create refuges around the world for all peoples, starting with people from Iraq and Darfur and Zimbabwe. It would be a tragedy if a noble experiement where an entire people is granted a refuge from persecution is destroyed thanks to the stubbornness of its government.
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