 |
| John Kerry |
It is unfortunate that Secretary
of State John Kerry put himself in the middle of the superficial, gossip-laden,
"he said, he said" death spiral of the latest nine-month peace talks
between Israel and the Palestinians. By now, his "apartheid" remark,
warning of the consequences for Israel if the Palestinians don't get their own
state, has gone viral and pandemic. He's even apologized publicly, rightly so.
More troubling than his use of a very sensitive term, is what it suggests about
his disposition.
The bigger point here is that Kerry maybe acting out of
desperation. He has invested tremendous effort and political capital toward
getting the Israeli and Palestinian sides to agree on basic terms for security
and borders, leading to a Palestinian state. For the duration, that process was
dominated by public claims that one party or the other was undermining trust
and acting unilaterally. Kerry kept plowing forward, even as Ukraine, Egypt and
Syria blazed.
Kerry's commitment to this effort whether you believe in his
ability or not have been nothing less than admirable. This is part of what
makes his comment so regrettable.
Kerry however, acted out of desperation. Only in a fantasy
world would Kerry not know that his use of the word would automatically reach
the press, infuriate Israelis and American Jews, and cloud out all other
considerations.
Israel is a big boy, and can handle whatever anyone throws
at it, whether it's Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert each warning of an apartheid
future on their own, or Kerry himself. But by invoking apartheid, Kerry shows
just how far he is willing to go, if not further. What is his fallback, or did
he just lash himself to the mast to ride out the storm of the century, known as
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?
We at The American Jewish Congress have worked to promote joint
economic efforts between Jews and Palestinians, regardless of where the peace
process happens to be in any given moment. These kinds of projects build trust
and lay the foundations for an eventual final status agreement. Resorting to
drama and reckless initiative undermines such an outcome.
On a global scale, we should also be worried that a
Secretary of State who's ready to sacrifice all just for the sake of a chance
at progress in one arena will find himself distracted from other, less
containable crises in the Middle East and beyond. With Iran, specifically, how
much will Kerry or the White House be willing to risk -- in ways that expose
Israel as well as the United States -- to secure some long-term agreement with
Iran?
Desperation is not an isolated trait, and it's one that too
often leads right back to despair. We have enough of that as it is.
Originally Published: The Jerusalem Post
