Middle Ground in the Middle East

Currently, the most controversial subject is how to achieve peace between Israel and Palestine and the future of Jerusalem. Obama recognizes that “the Holy Land of the three great faiths [should be] the place of peace that God intended it to be; Jerusalem is [to be] a secure and lasting home for Jews and Christians and Muslims, and a place for all of the children of Abraham to mingle peacefully together.”

This coincides with Hans Küng’s proposal for religious peace. In the Camp David Accords in 2000, the creation of a Palestinian State with its capital in Jerusalem was accepted. Another controversial agreement gave the Temple Mount or Noble Sanctuary, as the Muslims call it, to Israel. The Temple Mount is a historical holy site where the Jews believe two temples once stood. The ground where the mosques have been located for more than 1200 years would be assigned to Palestine. However, the all-or-nothing politics of Arafat did not accept the agreements of Camp David. After the triumph of Hamas, and its refusal to recognize the state of Israel, these agreements, as well as the Oslo ones, were not carried out.

Of course, Obama reiterates that his fundamental job is to defend the interests of the U.S., and the security of its citizens. He states, “It is my first duty as President to protect the American people.” At times, he naively forgets that American foreign policy determines that the country does not have friends but interests. However, there is a change in language from the previous administration. Instead of waging a “war against terrorism” Obama claims to “confront violent extremists.” He distinguishes between the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, considering the former an “elected” war that provoked controversy all over the world and the latter a necessary action to pursue Al-Qaeda after the September 11 attacks. Obama has taken preliminary measures to close Guatanamo and recognizes that fear “led [the United States] to act contrary to [its] ideals. “ The conservative right in the U.S. is strongly opposed to closing Guantanamo. Nevertheless, advancements have been made. For example, a prisoner, who was captured when he was 14 years old, has been liberated.

In regards to Iran and its nuclear program, President Obama acknowledges that the existing tensions originated in the role that the U.S. played during the Cold War in overthrowing the democratically elected Iranian government. He states that a nuclear arms race in the Middle East must be avoided to prevent instability in the region and endangering the rest of the world. He does not refer to Israel’s nuclear program but accepts that “no single nation should pick and choose which nations hold nuclear weapons.” He forgets that the only country to use weapons of mass destruction against non-military targets has been the United States. On August 6, 1945, the crew of the Enola Gay embarked on the killing of more than 100,000 civilians in Hiroshima and 80,000 in Nagasaki two days later. This horrific attack was even blessed by the Reverend George Sabelka. This exemplifies the bad practice of mixing religion with war.

Obama’s speech opens roads of hope for peace and for the welfare of the world. A necessary condition for peace is to have a leader that is a statesman and an intellectual, but other factors must be exploited to make it a reality.