Obama's peace plan?

Some details of America's new plan for peace in the Middle East were recently unveiled in the media; Al-Jazeera quoted Palestinian parliamentarian Hassan Khresheh as saying the to-be-proposed plan consists of ten points and aims to achieve a Palestinian state by the summer of 2011.

The plan, which has not yet been officially approved by the White House, is to be to be declared at the end of September, according to the report.

However, if the plan resembles what has gone before (which it apparently does) it will encounter serious difficulties and wide Arab rejection.

Under the plan, Palestinians will have no authority over any part of east Jerusalem, Israel will retain control of some neighborhoods, and Arabs - in other words Jordanians - will be put in charge of other areas in the holy city.

This completely does away with the primary and most basic Palestinian demand.

According to the plan, international forces are to control several parts of the Jordan valley and the West Bank.

This means the promised Palestinian state will be surrounded, by the Israel Air Forces from the air and by international forces on land. While this violates the basic condition any democratic state must satisfy, namely independence, it isn't the biggest obstacle presented by the plan.

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The coming of the third intifada?

Since its establishment, the State of Israel has largely depended on its security forces and intelligence agencies to ensure its national security. Today, Israel believes that diminished Palestinian attacks is a result of the successful efforts of its security and intelligence forces.

Israel began building its intelligence and security forces even before the declaration of the state of 1948. Jews in Palestine did not trust the Arabs who lived among them, and often offered bribes to the Arab population in exchange for information about Arab plans in Palestine. The Israelis also went about recruiting inside the Arab world, across the Middle East, and around the world.

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Reconsidering the Middle East

Many people wonder why Israel and the Arab world have not reached an agreement to end the historical conflict between them. Neither side has yet to find a solution that meets its needs. It also seems that none of the leaders in the region over time, wanted to take responsibility for any kind of compromise reached.

The Middle East, and the world in general, is affected by the Arab-Israeli conflict as it has international repercussions. There is an old theory that says that Israel's establishment was accepted by the West only to "keep an eye" on the Arab world and the region.

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A new chapter in US-Arab relations?

The US has been showing brave policy shifts towards the Muslim world and the Israeli-Arab conflict. This change is mostly noted in America's view on the importance of finding a solution for the Israeli-Arab conflict.

The changes started as soon as President Obama took office. Both Europe and America have indicated that ending the conflict in the Middle East would be beneficial to the Western world and would help bring about international security.

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Is Israel starting to feel US pressure?

Last week, Israel started to feel the pressure from the US as plans for a new peace initiative proposed by Obama were said to be in the works. Obama was said to deliver the contents of the plan on his visit to Cairo next week, but recent reports have suggested that his speech will focus on American ties with the Muslim world and not on the new peace plan which is rumored to refer to east Jerusalem as the future capital of an independent Palestinian State.

Since then, Israeli politicians have not stopped talking of the importance of getting Israel out of this situation in any way, including the removal of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

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Is it real silence..or silence before a real storm?

The relative quiet we've seen so far with regards to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict seems to be coming to an end. The new Israeli government has been formed and the international community wants to see real progress in the negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

During his recent visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories, US Middle East envoy George Mitchell said that the two state solution is the only way to end the conflict. Avigdor Lieberman, the new Israeli foreign minister, stated in the presence of Mitchell that Israel will work to improve the Palestinian economy. The latter responded by saying that the Israeli plan to improve the Palestinian economy must be a part of a complete plan to end the conflict by having two states for the two peoples. 

In a meeting held between White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and Jewish leaders in the United States, Rahm stated clearly that the interest of the White House is to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a period of four years with a result that includes two states; one Israeli and one Palestinian.

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A policy change strikes the Middle East

Following several key steps made by the new American administration, it seems the US is changing its approach to the Middle East. Last week, Senator John Kerry visited Gaza and met with Syrian President Bashar Assad and Iranian-American talks are still unclear but seem to be active behind the scenes. President Barack Obama, Middle East envoy George Mitchell, and other American officials are trying for a new strategy and their challenge involves breaking through the Iranian alliance and trying to negotiate with each element separately.

Obama is working on removing all the economic sanctions against Syria because of its ties with Iran and Hizbullah as he recognizes that the Syrians may play an important role in affecting the conflicts in the Middle East through their relations with Lebanon and Hamas. Sen. Kerry stated that he will ask President Assad to invest in changing the situation by applying pressure on Hizbullah and other such elements in the region.

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Obama's challenges in the Middle East

The future of any kind of achievement in the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians is hazy. Although the new American administration supports the two state solution, it seems unrealistic and unattainable in the current conditions.

President Obama's policies and what seems to be different, more realistic approaches to the Middle East will have to satisfy Israel, the Arab allies of America, and the moderate Palestinian leadership. So far, American considerations in the region have translated into the following; there are suggestions with regards to improving the economic situation is the West Bank instead of talking directly about a two-state solution, which is in line with what Israel's current leading candidate for the premiership Binyamin Netanyahu advocates. Netanyahu also thinks that at the moment, there is no basis for discussions or negotiations on a future Palestine. This has an effect on the Palestinian side in that it becomes more convinced that supporting a Palestinian party like Hamas which holds a similar approach - no negotiations - is in its best interest.

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