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Obama's obsession 

Op-ed: US should deal with world's real pressing issues rather than send Kerry here every two weeks
Guy Bechor

What is an obsession? A compulsive act or thought which repeats itself uncontrollably. That is exactly how one can define the foreign policy of the Obama-Kerry-Hagel trio towards Israel and towards those Arabs called "Palestinians." Their conduct in this arena should raise an eyebrow.


Let us pretend that North Korea is not threatening to launch the first nuclear attack since World War II; let us pretend that the rival camps in Syria are not using chemical weapons and committing unprecedented war crimes in the Middle East; let us pretend that North Africa, Egypt,Lebanon and Iraq are not being dissolved in front of our eyes, and that Salafi kingdoms are being born instead; let us pretend that the eurozone is breaking apart and the US economy itself is not headed towards collapse. Let us all focus on the "Palestinians." As far as Secretary of State Kerry is concerned, that it probably the most important thing. Well, what do you know! He wants to come here every two weeks.

Stalled Talks

Settlements not main issue /Dan Calic Op-ed: Abbas trying to divert attention from real Palestinian problems; Obama takes the bait Full story

Where does this obsession come from? From the inability to admit the collapse of the thesis that Israel and the Palestinian are at the heart of the conflict in the Middle East, and perhaps even in the entire world. After all, such a perception was voiced by new US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel during his hearing before the Senate before his appointment. According to this strange perception, which is being advanced mainly by Jews, if the Palestinian solution is "solved," planet Earth will be covered with cosmic tranquility.

But then comes the new reality in the region and the world and, what can you do, sets the record straight: Our conflict is marginal, but it has been inflated all these years by Arab and self-serving sources in order to overshadow and hide their real problems: The all-out hatred between the Sunnis and Shiites, the total war between the Arab nationality and the political Islam, the corruption, the tribalism and the tyranny. Now, with what is already ironically called the "Arab Spring," when everything around it collapsed, Israel really appears to be the last problem in line.

Accept reality

The Palestinians – yes, those who have been enjoying donations of tens of billions of dollars for 20 years now, and this money, how strange, evaporates within seconds – have one of the highest standards of living in the Arab world. They are not being butchered like in Syria, they are not being abused like in Egypt, they are not being bombarded like in Iraq. On the contrary, their life is good, they have a self-government, they have good income and health because Israel watches over them. Without Israel, Fatah and Hamas would have destroyed each other by now, just like what happened in the Gaza Strip in 2007. Can anyone imagine Abbas and his people staying in power without the Israeli patronage? They know that themselves.

The world has turned upside down. Once Israel was described as a problem; today, many already realize that it is actually the solution. But people who have been preaching the opposite all their lives find it difficult to accept. They find it difficult to accept reality.

It's time for a slightly more realistic American policy, one which responds to what is happening on the ground rather than to covert feelings and illusions of the past. The American taxpayer must from now on ask: If everything is collapsing around us, why are our leaders dealing with the "Palestinians" of all the troubles in the world?

And to the leaders of the United States we can say: It's okay, it's time to let go and deal with your burning and pressing problems and the world's; there is really no need to come here every two weeks.