Tag Archives: core issues

The idea sweeping Washington over recent weeks has been the notion that the President should release an Obama Plan, or a set of Principles, or a Statement, outlining where the US stands on all the core issues in the Israeli-Palestinian dispute (Jerusalem, refugees, borders, and security). The National Security Advisor, James Jones, and many of his predecessors reportedly favor it; so do many Mideast specialists and former officials. This is a very appealing notion especially given the frustrations the US now confronts in trying to get both sides to talk, even indirectly, in “proximity talks” to be conducted by the United States. Since the administration has not been able to start negotiations, shake the two sides up, the argument goes, and force them to focus on the issues instead of the procedures for moving forward. Just shove an American conception in their face, and they’ll start paying attention alright.

There is no question that bridging proposals or American ideas privately presented can save talks, and will undoubtedly be necessary earlier rather than later once negotiations begin. The Clinton Parameters that such a plan might resemble were privately presented to the two sides in the last few weeks of the administration. They might actually have worked if the parties had reached that stage earlier in the President’s term. But in a situation in which the two sides, especially the leaders, distrust each other, are suspicious of the Obama camp, and both are preoccupied with their internal problems, the chances of either accepting an “Obama Plan” are slim indeed. The far more likely scenario is that both sides will reject the President’s approach out of hand, leaving him weaker than before and less able to organize talks. Once the President has released his own “plan”, and it is rejected, where do we go from there?

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