First Palestinians and Syrians breached Israeli borders last weekend - and in the process Israel killed some 15 of them.
This week Bibi comes to the USA where he will meet Obama, address the US Congress and APAIC's annual conference. Meanwhile Obama is scheduled to make a statement on the situation in Arab countries and also try and ignite the now moribund Palestinian-Israel peace talks.
A roundup of commentary on what could be more than an "interesting" week.
"Frankly, we do not see how Mr. Obama can talk persuasively about transformation in the Arab world without showing Palestinians a peaceful way forward. It is time for Mr. Obama, alone or with crucial allies, to put a map and a deal on the table. The two sides will not break the impasse by themselves.
This is a singular moment of great opportunity and challenge in the Arab world. The United States and other democracies cannot dictate the outcome but must invest maximum effort and creativity to help shape it. There is no one-size-fits-all doctrine for dealing with disparate countries. The United States and its allies are right to balance values and strategic interests."
The New York Times editorial
"Obama, in turn, decided to use the Arab spring, and Osama bin Laden's assassination, to resume his charm offensive in the Middle East. There is much speculation about what he will say in his Mideast speech, but all indications are that – for now – he will only pay lip service to the two-state solution. His national security adviser, Tom Donilon, has already declared that Palestine must be established through negotiations – thus accepting Netanyahu's key demand and giving Israel a de facto veto on Palestinian independence. Netanyahu will probably get his standing ovation in Congress, and Obama will refrain from giving him a dressing down. Their showdown will be postponed; re-election takes precedence in Obama's mind.
But Netanyahu's diplomatic victory may be counterproductive. Reality is decided on the ground, not in Washington or New York. As the Nakba day protest across Israel's borders withSyria and Lebanon on Sunday – resulting in the death of several protesters – has shown, Palestinian frustration might well build into a third intifada, regardless of whether the Palestinians get UN recognition, and fight to implement it, or if their diplomatic gambit fails. And here lies Netanyahu's real problem: he can get the US on his side but he's got little to offer the Palestinians that might satisfy their quest for independence. Another round of Israeli-Palestinian conflict is therefore more likely as September approaches."
Aluf Benn in writing "Netanyahu and Obama: is this the final showdown?" in The Guardian.
"The fourth is that the Palestinian refugees are not likely to remain quiet if their interests are sidelined by Israel or by a Palestinian bid for statehood at the United Nations in September that fails to address their concerns.
The protesters in Syria and Lebanon showed that they will not be pushed to the margins of the Palestinian Arab Spring. That message will not be lost on either Hamas or Fatah as they begin negotiations to develop a shared strategy over the next few months.
And the fifth lesson is that the scenes of Palestinian defiance on Israel's borders will fuel the imaginations of Palestinians everywhere to start thinking the impossible - just as the Tahrir Square protests galvanised Egyptians into believing they could remove their dictator.
Israel is in a diplomatic and strategic dead end. This weekend it may have got its first taste of the likely future."
From "Is Israel at a Strategic Dead End as Palestinian "Arab Spring" Arrives?" on AlterNet
This week Bibi comes to the USA where he will meet Obama, address the US Congress and APAIC's annual conference. Meanwhile Obama is scheduled to make a statement on the situation in Arab countries and also try and ignite the now moribund Palestinian-Israel peace talks.
A roundup of commentary on what could be more than an "interesting" week.
"Frankly, we do not see how Mr. Obama can talk persuasively about transformation in the Arab world without showing Palestinians a peaceful way forward. It is time for Mr. Obama, alone or with crucial allies, to put a map and a deal on the table. The two sides will not break the impasse by themselves.
This is a singular moment of great opportunity and challenge in the Arab world. The United States and other democracies cannot dictate the outcome but must invest maximum effort and creativity to help shape it. There is no one-size-fits-all doctrine for dealing with disparate countries. The United States and its allies are right to balance values and strategic interests."
The New York Times editorial
"Obama, in turn, decided to use the Arab spring, and Osama bin Laden's assassination, to resume his charm offensive in the Middle East. There is much speculation about what he will say in his Mideast speech, but all indications are that – for now – he will only pay lip service to the two-state solution. His national security adviser, Tom Donilon, has already declared that Palestine must be established through negotiations – thus accepting Netanyahu's key demand and giving Israel a de facto veto on Palestinian independence. Netanyahu will probably get his standing ovation in Congress, and Obama will refrain from giving him a dressing down. Their showdown will be postponed; re-election takes precedence in Obama's mind.
But Netanyahu's diplomatic victory may be counterproductive. Reality is decided on the ground, not in Washington or New York. As the Nakba day protest across Israel's borders withSyria and Lebanon on Sunday – resulting in the death of several protesters – has shown, Palestinian frustration might well build into a third intifada, regardless of whether the Palestinians get UN recognition, and fight to implement it, or if their diplomatic gambit fails. And here lies Netanyahu's real problem: he can get the US on his side but he's got little to offer the Palestinians that might satisfy their quest for independence. Another round of Israeli-Palestinian conflict is therefore more likely as September approaches."
Aluf Benn in writing "Netanyahu and Obama: is this the final showdown?" in The Guardian.
"The fourth is that the Palestinian refugees are not likely to remain quiet if their interests are sidelined by Israel or by a Palestinian bid for statehood at the United Nations in September that fails to address their concerns.
The protesters in Syria and Lebanon showed that they will not be pushed to the margins of the Palestinian Arab Spring. That message will not be lost on either Hamas or Fatah as they begin negotiations to develop a shared strategy over the next few months.
And the fifth lesson is that the scenes of Palestinian defiance on Israel's borders will fuel the imaginations of Palestinians everywhere to start thinking the impossible - just as the Tahrir Square protests galvanised Egyptians into believing they could remove their dictator.
Israel is in a diplomatic and strategic dead end. This weekend it may have got its first taste of the likely future."
From "Is Israel at a Strategic Dead End as Palestinian "Arab Spring" Arrives?" on AlterNet
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