June 4, 2009

There is nothing new about an American president asking for or gaining Israel’s commitment to a settlement freeze. In 2004, then Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, in an exchange of letters with President George W. Bush, agreed in principle to “restrictions on settlement growth” and “removal of unauthorized outposts.” The Bush administration, like the Clinton administration before it, saw settlements as an impediment to peace. In his reply, President Bush thanked Sharon and wrote: “Palestinians must undertake an immediate cessation of armed activity and all acts of violence against Israelis anywhere, and all official Palestinian institutions must end incitement against Israel.”

This week President Obama laid out a similar position in an interview with The Washington Post, saying, “I’ve said very clearly to the Israelis both privately and publicly that a freeze on settlements, including natural growth, is part of those obligations. I’ve said to the Palestinians that their continued progress on security and ending the incitement that, I think, understandably makes the Israelis so concerned, that that has to be — those obligations have to be met.”

With President Obama headed to the Middle East for a major goodwill tour among Arab leaders, American-Jewish leaders are anxious. For some, Obama’s words amount to unacceptable pressure on Israel. Others, however, feel an actively engaged administration, willing to make demands on both the Palestinians and Israelis, is the only hope to breaking the Mideast logjam — a vital U.S. interest.

It is a mistake, and a capitulation to rejectionists, to say that any time a president places demands on Israel he betrays the U.S.-Israel relationship. And that doesn’t appear to be the case here. But while the president’s intentions appear honorable, his timing may be off. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who would ostensibly be strengthened by a tough U.S. stand on settlements, seems too weak, and too feckless, to take advantage of such a gesture. Meanwhile, Abbas’ Fatah movement and Hamas are at each other’s throats.

When peace comes to Israel, the settlements will certainly have been at the heart of the issue. Some will become part of Israel, others evacuated. The concern is not that President Obama recognizes that reality, rather, that forcing the issue is an ill-timed distraction.

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