By Sue Gloor
On Tuesday, September 22, President Obama will meet with Israeli and Palestinian officials to discuss the current inroads and future plans for the situation in the Middle East. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be representing Israel at the talks, and President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad will jointly speak for Palestine.
Even though previous talks among the three powers have resulted in little headway in the conflict, and even though the recently-convened General Assembly will also address the Israel/Palestine issue this week, Obama believes that additional, separate attempts at negotiation will be beneficial.
Among the Palestinian grievances to discuss are the new settlements by Israelis in the region, such as the building of infrastructure on land that may eventually be conceded to Palestine.
Netanyahu is hesitant to commit to a course of action, saying that he can’t make concessions (like agreeing to stop the settlements) until the negotiations have started. This is why extensive talks with a third party such as the US can help bolster compromise.
Israel, on the other hand, is most preoccupied with blocking and/or halting the nuclear proliferation of Iran and North Korea, which Israel deems inappropriate and potentially harmful.
It’s not surprising that Israel feels threatened by Iran’s increasing nuclear capabilities. In fact, Israeli defense minister Ehud Barak admitted that “he removes no option from the table,” alluding to the fact that Israel sees a military attack on Iran as a viable option.
Barak also pointed the US in the direction of addressing North Korea’s nuclear capabilities, since this issue is weighing on the minds of Israelis as well. Still, Barak remains adamant that Israel can protect itself should it be necessary.
This leaves the impression that Obama should prepare himself not only for a mediating roll in the talks, but also to be challenged about compromises the US can make to help the situation.
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