America’s Political Stance before the Election

Yesterday, Israeli media revealed that U.S. President Barack Obama told Israeli President Reuven Rivlin during his visit to Washington last week that the United States will no longer be able to thwart international initiatives against Israel, which has been the policy throughout the past decades. If this is true, then it is certainly a step in the right direction. This is despite the fact that, as stated by Obama, the reason for this change is that the American administration has been unable to get guarantees from Israel that would justify the U.S. defending the country.

Yesterday, Israel announced it was constructing 82 housing units in the Ramat Shlomo settlement,* which is being developed in an area that is part of a larger plan to construct 1,000 more units already opposed by Washington.

A question that needs to be asked here: If a draft resolution to compel Israel to stop its settlement activities was submitted to the U.N. Security Council, would the United States veto it? Would the outcome be similar to those of other initiatives against Israel, which frustrated Kerry and forced Obama to put pressure on the international scene by threatening to actually use his veto power?

It is not possible to say that Israel has officially announced a number of its most recent projects, which do not begin their initial steps without first coordinating with Washington. Israel cannot continue the settlement expansion and various other violations of international law without the support and protection from America, as well as without Europe’s condemnation of the data on it.

Therefore, we will say that until there is a new stance like the one Obama has posited regarding the president of Israel, the U.S. must combine its efforts with those of the majority of the international community, who reject a continuation of the occupation and settlements. This is a majority that wants the Security Council to issue a brave and binding decision. This decision would require an end to the occupation and confirm the invalidity of all Israeli activities taking place in the occupied territories, including the construction of settlements. It will therefore also enable the Palestinian people to establish an independent state on their land, with its capital in Jerusalem.

*Editor’s note: The Ramat Shlomo settlement is a large Jewish housing development in northern East Jerusalem.