NOBLE EFFORTS MUST YIELD TWO STATES
The surprising announcement of President Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize received immediate headlines in Israel, with the right wing fearing that he will redouble his efforts to force a two state solution. Let's hope that is true. Arafat didn't deserve his award, we can see that in retrospect. And, it's not clear that Shimon Peres deserved his either. So maybe this prospective notion isn't such a bad idea.
As events in Jerusalem have shown these last few weeks, a stasis--the goal of Israeli PM Netanyahu--is simply unexceptable. President Obama needs to make certain that he uses his prestige to make clear to Americans and to the people of Israel that a two state solution is in their interest and of the utmost necessity.
The PA leadership can't sustain the economic growth and quiet that they have achieved on the West Bank without a clear political horizon.
Hamas, which has signficantly weakened in Gaza, will strengthen if this stalemate continues.
And Israel continues to lose global prestige precisely at a time when it could be soaring in the arts, high tech, science and creativity.
Rumors at the beginning of the Nobel season were that Amos Oz, the wordly Israeli novelist and indefatigable peace campaigner, was slated to win for ltierature, instead though, the award went to an obscure Romanian writer. Israelis felt a bit let down, even though one of the awards for Chemistry went to an Israeli scientist. But if a year from now real progress is made on the Israel-Palestine conunundrum, the prize will have served Israelis well.
"Arafat didn't deserve his award, we can see that in retrospect. And, it's not clear that Shimon Peres deserved his either."
It's very clear that the father of the Zionist Atomic Bomb and The Settlements absolutely did not deserve the Nobel Peace Prize.
October 9, 2009 10:08 AM | Reply | Permalink
October 9, 2009 10:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
October 9, 2009 11:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
'Two-states' is for the segregationists.
October 10, 2009 9:12 AM | Reply | Permalink
Exactly, The segregation between Us and Mexico must end.
October 10, 2009 9:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
I's agree with you, if the US and Mexico were on the same piece of land.
October 10, 2009 12:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
They are. They are not separated by water.
October 10, 2009 6:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Once Israelis, Palestinians and others wholly consumed by the Middle East realize that the world does not revolve around a one-state / two-state / no-state strategy, we’ll be in much better shape to move on to really important issues.
October 12, 2009 9:42 PM | Reply | Permalink