Israel-Palestine: The Road to Hell Is Paved with Good Intentions

The situation between Israel and Palestine has reached yet another impasse. But, this time, it was accompanied by a dispute between the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and US President Obama.

It all started with Mr. Obama’s speech on the Middle East ten days ago, when he called for a negotiated peace based on the 1967 Israel-Palestine borders.

Netanyahu answered in person when he met with Obama at the White House last week, saying that it was not possible for Israel to return to the 1967 borders because they are indefensible.

Later last week, Netanyahu spoke before the America Congress, re-iterating his position and adding that Israel would be generous about fixing new borders in negotiations. But, he also demanded that Palestine recognize Israel as a state and that Hamas not be part of the negotiation. He added that Jerusalem would never leave Israeli control and that Israel must be able to keep a military presence in the West Bank after peace is reached.

Obama then restated his 1967 border position in London this week.

Whether Mr. Netanyahu meant that all the conditions he mentioned must precede negotiations or be part of the items on the table is not clear.

What is clear, however, is that Palestine President Abbas took them as being the necessary precursors to negotiations. He rejected all of them, saying that Netanyahu had destroyed the possibility of any peace talks.

Even the more moderate political groups in Israel fear that peace talks are no longer possible and that Israel will be at risk, sitting, as it is, in the midst of hostile neighbors who want to destroy her.

There is an old adage: “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.”

Mr. Obama launched this catastrophe with good intentions, but he opened a pandora's box that will only be closed with enormous effort.

And, I fear that Mr. Obama does not have the skill or the interest to force the Israelis and the Palestinians to re-consider their recent positions.