U.S. Influence Is Sinking

147

March 3, 2011

Published in Der Standard
(Austria) on 20 February 2011
by Gudrun Harrer (link to original link to original)

Translated from by Elissa Yonkers. Edited by Michelle Harris.

The U.S. asserts that if the U.N. Security Council asked Israel to stop the building of settlements in the West Bank, it would be counterproductive to the peace process. Can you believe this? For there is no peace process, and as a result, the chance that Israel will stop construction without a [U.N.] resolution has always been zero.

While the 14 other Security Council members supported the resolution, the U.S. blocked it with their one veto, which is a tragedy. Now, Washington breaks away from every connection in the Middle East, from all those who patiently played along with the peace process for years — also to their own advantage. Naturally, they’re paid by the U.S. and could make their home however they wanted, without much criticism. Mubarak is history; another, Abdullah from Jordan, is weakened; and Abdullah from Saudi Arabia will not forgive Washington for the “betrayal” of Mubarak.

This “betrayal” brought the U.S., for a moment, closer to the people in the Middle East. With the U.S. veto, this moment is over, and Barack Obama’s call in support of the resolution — during his 2009 speech in Cairo — is finally dead. U.S. influence in the region is sinking, to the detriment of Israel. Only when Israel does, without a resolution, what would have been demanded of it with passage of the resolution, can the decline of U.S. influence in the region be halted.

Es gibt keinen Friedensprozess, und der Erfolg, Israel ohne Resolution zum Baustopp zu bewegen, war ebenfalls stets gleich null - von Gudrun Harrer

Dass die Uno-Sicherheitsratsresolution, die Israel zum Stopp des Siedlungsbaus im Westjordanland aufgefordert hätte, wirklich, wie die USA behaupten, kontraproduktiv für den Friedensprozess gewesen wäre, kann man glauben oder auch nicht: Denn es gibt keinen Friedensprozess, und der Erfolg, Israel ohne Resolution zum Baustopp zu bewegen, war ebenfalls stets gleich null.

Für die USA, die diese von 14 Sicherheitsratsmitgliedern unterstützte Resolution mit ihrem Veto abgewehrt haben, ist die ganze Geschichte jedoch eine Tragödie. Soeben brechen Washington jene Verbündeten im Nahen Osten weg, die das Friedensprozessspiel seit Jahren geduldig mitspielten - auch zu ihrem eigenen Vorteil natürlich, sie wurden von den USA bezahlt und konnten zu Hause machen, was sie wollten, ohne groß kritisiert zu werden. Mubarak ist Geschichte, ein anderer, Abdullah von Jordanien, ist geschwächt, und Abdullah von Saudi-Arabien wird Washington den "Verrat" an Mubarak nicht verzeihen.

Gerade dieser "Verrat" hat aber für einen Moment die USA den Menschen in Nahost wieder nähergebracht. Mit dem US-Veto ist dieser Moment vorbei, und der Ruf Barack Obamas - der das, was in der verhinderten Resolution steht, 2009 in seiner Rede in Kairo sagte - endgültig erledigt. Der US-Einfluss in der Region sinkt, zum Nachteil Israels. Nur wenn Israel ohne Resolution das tut, was darin verlangt worden wäre, könnte es dies aufhalten.

This post appeared on the front page as a direct link to the original article with the above link .

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