As talks look set to resume, Barack Obama must prepare a big plan of his own
EVEN by the gloomy standards of the misnamed Middle East peace process, the prospect of a lasting deal between Jews and Arabs in that little strip of land between the Jordan river and the Mediterranean has seemed remoter than ever. Yet the latest news offers a rare glimmer of hope. After more than a year of sullen stalemate, indirect talks between the two sides look set to resume (see article). Sadly they are likely to flounder unless the Americans do more than just nudge them along.
Sooner rather than later, Barack Obama must present his own detailed plan for peace. He must take the lead in providing Israel with the only guarantee of its lasting security: the creation of a proper state for the Palestinians.
Mr Obama should also propose a NATO force under American command to monitor and secure a Palestinian border and ensure that a Palestinian state has limited military power. And he should come to Israel and sell his plan directly to Israelis, explaining why two states, including a shared Jerusalem, is the only way, in the long run, to make Israel safe. Mr Obama must dispatch the canard that he is hostile to the Jewish state. Being impatient with Israel does not mean he disregards it: he has repeatedly guaranteed Israel’s security. But if the chance of building two co-existing states is not to fade, the Obama plan cannot be delayed much longer.
clipped from www.economist.com
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