Middle East solutions

The Middle East, and whatever passes as an attempt at a peace process there, is currently a mess. I don't pay much attention to attempts at negotiation and settlements, mostly because I think it's a lost cause, but this column by Roger Cohen in the New York Times got me thinking.

Near the end, he says something especially interesting: "If there are not two states there will be one state between the river and the sea and very soon there will be more Palestinian Arabs in it than Jews. What then will become of the Zionist dream?"

That is really the crux of his whole argument, and of mine when I say that the U.S. needs to be a little tougher if it wants to see real results in Israel. Statistics for a while now have been showing that the Palestinian population is outpacing Israel's. For the United States, it's vital and right to be Israel's ally, but sometimes doing what's best for your friend is tough love, and that's what Cohen argues here. Rather than totally jumping on Israel's bandwagon, and pushing away everything the Palestinians want to do, the U.S. has to help foster some kind of compromise if it's serious about real change in Israel. Whether the two-state solution is a good idea or not, I don't know, but Palestinians are going to outnumber Israelis eventually, and then there's not going to be a need for negotiations anymore. And the U.S. obviously doesn't want this, to see an ally dilluted by a non-ally, right?

Israel is the ally, but that doesn't mean other human beings aren't involved. As Cohen says: "...past persecution of the Jews cannot be a license to subjugate another people, the Palestinians." [You can at least give them a few of their requests/demands, right? And it's still in U.S. interest:] "Nor can the solemn U.S. promise to stand by Israel be a blank check to the Jewish state when its policies undermine stated American aims."

Plus, Israel is no longer in the hole it once was: "...the 'existential threat' to Israel is overplayed. It is no feeble David facing an Arab (or Arab-Persian) Goliath. Armed with a formidable nuclear deterrent, Israel is by far the strongest state in the region. Room exists for America to step back and apply pressure without compromising Israeli security."

By all means, be Israel's ally. But also realize that in this peace process, which hasn't gotten anywhere in a long time, it may not be a bad idea to be the older, wiser friend who knows what's best...and not just look out for your friend, but yourself as well.