Aaron David Miller has been an adviser for Democratic and Republication administrations. He offers some necessary pointers to Barack Obama:
In 25 years of working on this issue for six secretaries of state, I can’t recall one meeting where we had a serious discussion with an Israeli prime minister about the damage that settlement activity—including land confiscation, bypass roads and housing demolitions—does to the peacemaking process. There is a need to impose some accountability. And this can only come from the president. But Obama should make it clear that America will not lend its auspices to a peacemaking process in which the actions of either side willfully undermine the chances of an agreement America is trying to broker. No process at all would be better than a dishonest one that hurts America’s credibility.
Only real and consistent pressure from Washington towards Israel will change the Middle East equation.
But the Zionist lobby fears such a possibility. They believe in a “peace process” that achieves nothing other than colonial expansion.
Let’s hope they receive a rude shock soon enough.