President Obama should ignore the recent letter from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), signed and forwarded to the White House by AIPAC's stooges in the United States Congress. Those members of Congress who refused to sign should be congratulated for putting the People's business first rather than bowing to Israeli demands. Those who did sign need to be reminded who is paying their salaries.

It is in the best interests of America and the world at-large to achieve an equitable peace between Israelis and Palestinians at the earliest possible date. This will require compromise and concessions from both sides, including both recognition of Israel by the Palestinians and an end to Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank. It will also require, as all but the right-wing government in Tel Aviv agree, the establishment of a free and sovereign Palestinian state existing side-by-side in peace with Israel. As always, AIPAC seeks through its lackeys in Congress to ensure that Israel continues to receive unconditional U.S. favor in peace negotiations, that Israel's settlement project in the West Bank be allowed to continue unimpeded, and that a final peace agreement establishing a Palestinian state be delayed for as long as possible.

The letter, sponsored by Republican Eric Cantor and Democrat Steny Hoyer but obviously written by AIPAC, demonstrates just how bipartisan indeed members of Congress can be when it comes to groveling at the feet of AIPAC, which is basically the American arm of Binyamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud Party. The true source of the letter is revealed by the fact that its sponsors either forgot or simply didn't bother to remove AIPAC from its filename when PDF copies were circulated to members of Congress ("AIPAC Letter Hoyer Cantor May 2009.pdf.").

What the letter demands of President Obama is patently ridiculous. First and foremost, the letter demands that the U.S. assume no more aggressive a role in the peace process than that required to ensure that Israel's interests receive paramount consideration, claiming absurdly that Israel "will be taking the greatest risks in any peace agreement." Furthermore, the letter demands that in peace negotiations America work "closely and privately" with Israel: not with the Palestinians or with other members of the international community, and not in public view. Here the letter also demands that in peace negotiations the U.S. act as "a devoted friend" exclusively of Israel. Finally, the letter places the burden of bringing peace squarely on the shoulders of the Palestinians, demanding nothing from Israel.

This letter does not deserve so much as a passing response from President Obama. Issued by AIPAC, the letter was rubber-stamped by members of Congress for no reason other than to keep pro-Israel campaign contributions rolling in and to avoid turning AIPAC's considerable influence against them. They know this, we know it, and President Obama knows it.

Mark C. Eades
http://www.mceades.com