Thanks Kabar....I’ll be looking forward to BiBi’s speech.
There’s been pressure on BiBi from within and without. But never has land for peace worked in history and this at most will only be a pre-lude for the Muslims to re-group for thier final push.
There may be a ‘false’ peace time if BiBi folds...but it will not ever be a lasting peace as we define peace. To Muslims their peace is only thru Islamic rule worldwide, and they are never going to lay that agenda down.
Nevertheless, the president and the prime minister will have much to discuss. Israeli-Palestinian diplomacy is being driven by the impending vote in September by the UN General Assembly on recognizing a Palestinian state based on the 1967 border. A vote in the General Assembly would not reduce the need for a negotiated agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, but the move could have far-reaching political implications by providing a basis to consider sanctions against Israel.
I have no doubt BiBi will mention the 1967 borders in his speech to Congress. The real issue is what conditions he will attach to it. I am fairly sure one will be that Hamas must get out of the Palistinian government, which will be a dealbreaker all by itself.
I would have to reread Obama's speech to see if he has put Israel between a rock and hard place come September in the UN. We all know the General Assembly will recognize a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders. BiBi's speech before Congress will give us an indication of where he stands on all of this.
I assume--maybe hope is a better word--that Obama's speech was vetted with Israel to get their reaction before he delivered it. With allies, we usually do that so that there are no surprises and we can anticipate what issues might arise and respond to them afterwards.