It’s Time For The US To Get Out Of The Israeli/Palestinian Peace Process

10 Nov, 2009 by John Hawkins

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Rarely do I agree with Thomas Friedman, but on this, I think he’s right:

The Israeli-Palestinian peace process has become a bad play. It is obvious that all the parties are just acting out the same old scenes, with the same old tired clichés – and that no one believes any of it anymore. There is no romance, no sex, no excitement, no urgency – not even a sense of importance anymore. The only thing driving the peace process today is inertia and diplomatic habit. Yes, the Israeli-Palestinian peace process has left the realm of diplomacy. It is now more of a calisthenic, like weight-lifting or sit-ups, something diplomats do to stay in shape, but not because they believe anything is going to happen. And yet, as much as we, the audience, know this to be true, we can never quite abandon hope for peace in the Holy Land. It is our habit.

…This peace process movie is not going to end differently just because we keep playing the same reel. It is time for a radically new approach. And I mean radical. I mean something no U.S. administration has ever dared to do: Take down our “Peace-Processing-Is-Us” sign and just go home.

Right now we want it more than the parties. They all have other priorities today. And by constantly injecting ourselves we’ve become their Novocain. We relieve all the political pain from the Arab and Israeli decision-makers by creating the impression in the minds of their publics that something serious is happening. “Look, the U.S. secretary of state is here. Look, she’s standing by my side. Look, I’m doing something important! Take our picture. Put it on the news. We’re on the verge of something really big and I am indispensable to it.” This enables the respective leaders to continue with their real priorities – which are all about holding power or pursuing ideological obsessions – while pretending to advance peace, without paying any political price.

Let’s just get out of the picture. Let all these leaders stand in front of their own people and tell them the truth: “My fellow citizens: Nothing is happening; nothing is going to happen. It’s just you and me and the problem we own.”

Indeed, it’s time for us to dust off James Baker’s line: “When you’re serious, give us a call: 202-456-1414. Ask for Barack. Otherwise, stay out of our lives. We have our own country to fix.”

Isn’t he right? We’re not accomplishing anything by engaging in the “peace process.” The Palestinians have no interest in making any sort of “peace” with the Israelis that doesn’t include genocide and taking all their land.

The surrounding nations? They don’t want the fighting to stop because the Israelis make wonderful scapegoats. Pay no attention to how you’re treated in your own country, Middle-Eastern peon, get angry at the Israelis instead.

So, if nothing is happening, then we should ask: What are we actually accomplishing? We give money to Palestinian savages who hate us to gain influence and not only does it buy us nothing, it ends up being used for terrorism.

Worse yet, since we can’t get the Palestinians to behave, we end up pressuring the Israelis, our only real allies in the Middle East, to make ridiculous concessions that never actually accomplish anything.

If our goal is to accomplish something, we have to ask what we’re accomplishing? If our goal is to help our friends, the Israelis, we have to ask how we’re helping them?

When the Palestinians get tired of living like backwards, murderous primitives and want to choose peace and prosperity over self-sabotage, murder, and turning their children into terrorists, then let them call us. Until then, let’s just quietly support our friends in Israel and let the Palestinians simmer in a hell of their own making.