I know this is lengthy, but I found it on the OneJerusalem.org
07.15.2009]
Obama Clarifies: Israel Is The Problem Not The Palestinians
President Obama invited a very select group of Jewish leaders to the White House.
Like all his events, Obama made sure that his supporters dominated the room. Flanked by staffers Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod, Obama overloaded the guest list with left leaning American Jews. Groups like Peace Now, The National Jewish Democrat Council, and J Street, all of whom oppose the the elected government of Benjamin Netanyahu, were included among the typical "major Jewish organizations."
Obama made sure that groups supporting the right wing government of Benjamin Netanyahu were a distinct minority.
From a few published reports and other sources, One Jerusalem has pieced together a picture of what took place at this meeting. In short, Obama made it clear that he feels Israel must be pushed to make a deal with the Palestinians - which means that Obama is planning to force Israel to compromise on Jerusalem, settlements, the West Bank, and possibly the right of return. He will not be dissuaded by facts on the ground (more on this later), and he sees a moral equivalency between the plight of the Palestinians and the needs of the State of Israel.
When Malcolm Hoenlein of the Conference of Major Organizations made the case that progress on the Palestinian front comes when there is "no daylight" between the policies of the United States and Israel, Obama responded that despite overwhelming support by President Bush no progress was made. When Hoenlein pointed out that under Bush, Israel took the momentous step of withdrawing from Gaza (One Jerusalem opposed this action) and previously under other friendly Administrations went the extra mile, like adopting The Road Map, Obama refused to let these facts change his mind.
Our friend Rick Richman does a superb job responding to Obama:
The following would be my summary of the progress over the past eight years -- which Obama apparently ignored in his response to the group:
After the Palestinians rejected an offer of a state at Camp David in 2000, rejected the Clinton Parameters in 2001, and conducted a terror war against Israeli civilians from September 2000-2002, Israel nevertheless agreed in 2003 to the "Performance-Based Roadmap" for the creation of a Palestinian state, despite reservations about the manner in which that plan would actually be implemented.
In 2003 and thereafter, Israel ceased all settlement activity -- as it understood that Phase I Roadmap obligation (no new settlements; no building outside settlement boundaries; no financial incentives for Israelis to move to settlements) -- and believed American officials agreed with its interpretation of that obligation.
In 2004, after the Palestinian Authority failed to meet its own Phase I Roadmap obligation (sustained efforts to dismantle terrorist groups and infrastructure), Israel nevertheless proposed to dismantle every existing settlement in Gaza (not just "outposts"), remove every Israeli soldier, and turn over the entire area to the Palestinian Authority -- in exchange for a written American commitment to defensible borders and retention of the major settlement blocs necessary to insure them.
In 2005, after receiving the American commitment, Israel proceeded to carry out the Gaza disengagement, despite the political and social upheaval within Israel it caused, including the break-up of the ruling party and nationwide demonstrations, and - at State Department insistence - further dismantled four settlements (not just "outposts") in the West Bank as well, to demonstrate the disengagement would be "Gaza First," not "Gaza Last."
In 2006, after the Palestinians elected their premier terrorist group to control their government, Israelis nevertheless re-elected Kadima on a platform of "convergence" (the new name for withdrawal from the West Bank), and would have carried it out but for the attacks by Hamas from Gaza and Hezbollah from Lebanon that caused two wars and finally convinced Israelis further withdrawals were insane.
In 2007, despite the Palestinian failure to carry out its Phase I dismantlement obligation, and its categorical rejection of Phase II (a state with provisional sovereignty before Phase III final status negotiations), Israel agreed to proceed immediately to final status negotiations once again under the "Annapolis Process."
Throughout 2008, Israel negotiated with its "peace partner" under the accelerated process, and offered 100 percent of the West Bank (after land swaps) for a state, with concessions on other major issues, all of which were rejected.
During this eight-year period, the Palestinian concessions (aka reciprocal "progress") can be enumerated more briefly: zero.
But Obama reiterated his commitment to forcing Israel to give Palestinians what they want. In other words he does not want to be deterred from his prejudices by the facts.
One Jerusalem has been warning Israel's supporters that the Obama Administration is dead set on using all its power to force Israel to capitulate even if it means dividing Jerusalem and weakening its defenses. We must continue to recruit people in the campaign to defend Israel and Jerusalem. Signing our Jerusalem petition is a sure fire way to stay informed about important news that you will probably not get anywhere else and to learn insider analysis.
As Obama's troubles at home multiply, look for him to show leadership by beating up on Israel. We need to be prepared to fight back.
