Obama and Israel
By
Nicholas D. Kristof
I
posted recently about the relative lack of courage on the part of both Senator Clinton and Senator Obama to disagree with primary voters, and I asked readers to cite example of political courage on the part of either of them. I’m sure that both senators are far more sympathetic to gay marriage, gun control and free trade, for example, than they let on, and I wish they would show some leadership on issues like those.
But I did come across
a speech by Obama the other day in which he, very carefully, did show some of the leadership I yearn for. It was to a Jewish audience in Cleveland, about Middle Eastern issues. He started off trying to allay suspicions by emphasizing his support for Israel’s security. But in response to questions, he also called for a more open and constructive dialogue about Israel and the Palestinians — a position that will get him no votes and may cost him some. It was a breath of fresh air. I recommend the full speech and Q/A, but here’s some of what he said (these are excerpts, amid other parts that were more conventional support for Israel in an election year):
This is where I get to be honest and I hope I’m not out of school here. I think there is a strain within the pro-Israel community that says unless you adopt a unwavering pro-Likud approach to Israel that you’re anti-Israel and that can’t be the measure of our friendship with Israel. If we cannot have a honest dialogue about how do we achieve these goals, then we’re not going to make progress. And frankly some of the commentary that I’ve seen which suggests guilt by association or the notion that unless we are never ever going to ask any difficult questions about how we move peace forward or secure Israel that is non military or non belligerent or doesn’t talk about just crushing the opposition that that somehow is being soft or anti-Israel, I think we’re going to have problems moving forward….
the Israelis will have to figure out how do we work with a legitimate Palestinian government to create a Palestinian state that is sustainable. It’s going to have to be contiguous, its going to have to work its going to have to function in some way. That’s in Israel’s interest by the way. If you have a balkanized unsustainable state, it will break down and we will be back in the same boat….
one of the things that struck me when I went to Israel was how much more open the debate was around these issues in Israel than they are sometimes here in the United States. It’s very ironic. I sat down with the head of Israeli security forces and his view of the Palestinians was incredibly nuanced because he’s dealing with these people every day. There’s good and there’s bad, and he was willing to say sometimes we make mistakes and we made this miscalculation and if we are just pressing down on these folks constantly without giving them some prospects for hope, that’s not good for our security situation. There was a very honest, thoughtful debate taking place inside Israel. All of you, I’m sure, have experienced this when you travel there. Understandably, because of the pressure that Israel is under, I think the U.S. pro-Israel community is sometimes a little more protective or concerned about opening up that conversation. But all I’m saying though is that actually ultimately should be our goal, to have that same clear eyed view about how we approach these issues.
Obama and Israel - Nicholas D. Kristof - Opinion - New York Times Blog