President Obama Throws in the Towel on Israeli-Palestinian Peace

Like so many of his predecessors, President Barack Obama appears resigned to finishing his two-term presidency without managing to leave behind a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. Speaking to students during his trip to Argentina on Wednesday, Obama replied to a question by saying, “This [Israeli-Palestinian peace] is not something I was able to get done. I am not that hopeful that it’s going to happen in the next nine months. It’s been 60 years; it’s not going to happen in the next nine months.” The president’s comments differ from a recent Wall Street Journal report that said the Israeli-Palestinian track ranks high on President Obama’s plans for his remaining time in office. He also expressed concern for the future of the two-state solution, which the president called, “the best way.” Meanwhile, although Israelis are concerned that in his waning days President Obama will break the tradition of vetoing Security Council resolutions that negatively impact Israel, the US and Israel are aggressively fighting a resolution begun by the Palestinians in the UN Human Rights Council that effectively calls for the agency to create a black list of companies doing business with Israeli entities in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Golan Heights – all areas Israel conquered in the 1967 war and which the Palestinians claim for a future state. The US-Israel diplomatic campaign focuses on removing the article that deals with creation of a data base – also the most important element to the Palestinians. It has been reported that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has issued personal directives to his diplomats not to budge on the issue.