The State of Israel is literally between a rock and a hard place, both of its own making. It's a new Middle East today and not one to Israel's liking but the new reality is narrowing Israel's options.
According to The New York Times, Israel has just months to make a "far-reaching offer" to the Palestinians or face a United Nations vote in September admitting the State of Palestine, a nation state comprising Gaza, the entire West Bank and all of East Jerusalem.
The Palestinian Authority has been steadily building support for such a resolution in September, a move that could place Israel into a diplomatic vise. Israel would be occupying land belonging to a fellow United Nations member, land it has controlled and settled for more than four decades and some of which it expects to keep in any two-state solution.
“We are facing a diplomatic-political tsunami that the majority of the public is unaware of and that will peak in September,” said Ehud Barak, Israel’s defense minister, at a conference in Tel Aviv last month. “It is a very dangerous situation, one that requires action.” He added, “Paralysis, rhetoric, inaction will deepen the isolation of Israel.”
The next few months promise to be fascinating. The momentum is shifting, leverage is changing hands, Israel can no longer rely on Egyptian complacency even as America's global influence rapidly wanes. I hope the Israeli government comes to its senses and acts quickly. I hope it has watched America's fumbles in Iraq and Afghanistan and realized that there are a great many challenges that cannot be resolved by superior firepower. Above all, I hope this can be resolved peacefully.
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