This is the problem facing any president who attempts to show even a limited amount of tough love to Israel. It might seem like I’m tough on Israel or even favor the Palestinians in their dispute with Israel. But that is not really the case. I support that state of Israel and, above all, want them to live in peace. But I do not believe they serve their own security concerns by occupying Palestinian territory. I think Israel has made one mistake after another, beginning with the decision to invade Lebanon in 1982 and their decision to create permanent settlements in areas they conquered in the 1967 war. I believe the United States has largely solved their existential security risks by brokering peace between Israel and Egypt and Israel and Jordan. But we have not been rewarded for these efforts and Israel has behaved as if they didn’t even occur. Our international image suffers terribly not because we support Israel, but because we enable them to continue and expand their occupation of Palestinian land. We have the right to demand that Israel make concessions for peace, but everytime a president attempts to pressure Israel, a supermajority of Congress rebukes the president and undermines his foreign policy.
Israel knows what steps it must take, but it doesn’t have the political will to take them. America knows, too, but we don’t have the political will either. That’s why people need to show support for the president if and when he or she tries to lead Israel in a sensible direction.
