Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is busy developing his policy proposals before his upcoming White House meeting with United States President Barack Obama. From statements that the Israeli premier has made, it is apparent that he is seeking to bring to a halt the peace process that his predecessors pursued, which aimed at the establishment of a Palestinian state in the territories and reaching a peace agreement with Syria.
Instead, Netanyahu is posing a series of demands that he will present to Obama: priority for the threat from Iran, Palestinian recognition of Israel as the state of the Jewish people, continued construction in Jewish settlements and refusal to withdraw from the Golan Heights. He is prepared to have the Palestinians "govern themselves" in half of the West Bank, with Israeli security supervision.
Netanyahu's approach, which is backed by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's declarations, is provoking opposition in the international community. Obama and senior officials in his administration have reiterated their commitment to a "two-state solution." In the European Union, there are calls to freeze the upgrading of relations with Israel if the country retreats from prior commitments. The prime minister is of the opinion that Israel currently has an unprecedented political window of opportunity arising from concern among Arab states such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan over the threat from Iran, which will lead them to strategic cooperation with Israel.
However, the international community, headed by President Obama, expects Netanyahu to continue to pursue the peace process that he inherited from Ehud Olmert, to freeze construction in the settlements and to ease living conditions for Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Arab states, which are committed to the Palestinian issue, will find it difficult to cooperate with an Israeli government that continues the occupation and opposes an agreement. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said Israel will lose the support of the West on the Iranian issue if it fails to advance peace with the Palestinians.
As an experienced diplomat and statesman, Netanyahu knows there is no free lunch in politics. He should listen to Clinton and not come to Washington with empty hands. Instead of demands and naysaying, which will be met by American opposition, he should convey a clear commitment to the two-state solution, support the Arab peace initiative as the basis of a regional agreement, halt settlement expansion and engage in efforts to strengthen the Palestinian economy. This is the only way that Netanyahu can mobilize the support of the international community for his main goal - stopping the Iranian threat
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