By John Ballard
Blake Hounshell (nee Praktike, for long-time blog readers) makes an incisive observation about Israeli politics in a post discussing another subject, the National Review -- Andrew Sullivan spat.
Sullivan's criticism of Israel ought to worry defenders of the Jewish state, then, because he is a belwether for a broader shift in American media and society that has happened over the last few years. Israel is using up a lot of the goodwill it had built up in the 1990s, when eminent statesmen like Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres made good-faith efforts toward peace with the Palestinians. Since then, the country has been governed by a series of unimaginative right-wing leaders who have pandered constantly to their settler base and chosen to solve political problems through the use of force. Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud Party may have their fingers on the pulse of their public right now, but their agenda is not one that appeals to most Americans, who strongly support Israel's right to exist but have little interest in underwriting the permanent occupation of the West Bank.
Tired old arguments like "but the Palestinians are worse!" may win debate points, but they aren't a good way to rebuild the widespread support for Israel that existed in Bill Clinton's time. Only wise and far-sighted Israeli leadership can do that, and self-styled friends of the Jewish state might want to think about ways they can help nudge the Israeli political class in a more productive direction, rather than publishing 4,000-word essays about ... bloggers.
Ever heard of "lancing a boil"?
You Tube has a disgusting collection of examples.
I think that's a good way to describe how US foreign policy is dealing with the I-P conflict.
It isn't pretty, but sometimes it's the most important part of healing.
The only question is who will wield the scalpel?
(Hint: I don't think it will be an American.)
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