Peace In the Valley

When President Obama proposed starting a peace plan for Israel and the Palestinians that used the June 1967 borders as a starting point, every single Republican in Washington was ready to bash him over it - not because they were against it, but because Obama was for it. Bill Clinton was for using the 1967 borders as a starting point, as was George Walker Bush when he endorsed a Palestinian state. Obama proposed land swaps to crate a final border that, under this plan, would bear little resemblance to the 1967 lines. So what's the problem?

I suspect it's because of politics. Not in the United States, but in Israel. Netanyahu governs with only tacit support from the Israeli Labor party, with much of his support coming from right-wing parties in the Knesset. He can't be seen as conceding to anything the Palestinians support - like what Obama has proposed. He's done a good job of avoiding that perception, re-iterating his steadfast opposition to Obama's proposal both to the President himself and to Congress.

Netanyahu has never been a forceful advocate for any kind of peace plan that can benefit both sides, so I don't expect much from Obama's initiative. However, it's healthy that the prime minister of Israel and the President of the United States can agree to disagree . . . and still talk.