First<\/strong>, why now?<\/p>\nThe Obama administration\u2019s justification for standing back rather than vetoing is simply a \u201chey, Netanyahu brought it on himself by refusing to stop the settlements; he left us no choice\u201d as well as a certain distancing of the U.S., that all the administration did is stand back while other countries voted. \u00a0But it seems improbable that a major change in U.S. policy happened, by pure coincidence, just before Obama leaves office. \u00a0Did Obama orchestrate the resolution? \u00a0I\u2019m no expert, but it seems to have come out of nowhere, and it seems to me that there must have at least been some signalling that, this time around, the U.S. wouldn\u2019t veto it.<\/p>\n
Second<\/strong>, what did Obama hope to accomplish?<\/p>\nSure, in the \u201cwe\u2019re just bystanders\u201d scenario, Obama had no expectation of accomplishing anything, but was simply standing back and letting other countries \u201cdo their thing.\u201d \u00a0But that\u2019s unlikely. \u00a0Did Obama think that this action would have a real shot at furthering the peace process? \u00a0(No, not a rhetorical question \u2013 a real question for readers.)<\/p>\n
Third<\/strong>, what will the ultimate consequences be?<\/p>\nAt this point, I happen to be of the opinion that, in all likelihood, my grandchildren will someday be reading about the latest developments in the Peace Process. \u00a0My opinion is that there should be a true \u201creturn to 1967 borders\u201d in that the West Bank goes back to Jordan, but that individual Jewish property owners retain their property rights under Jordanian rule, rather than being ethnically cleansed, and that Israel retains Jerusalem because, well, it\u2019s Jerusalem.<\/p>\n
But the consequences of this particular resolution?<\/p>\n
Look, the UN, and all kinds of other governments and other bodies have condemned the war in Syria. \u00a0It\u2019s all talk. \u00a0Will this resolution be any different?<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Image: \u00a0https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File%3AThe_Western_Wall_and_Dome_of_the_rock_in_the_old_city_of_Jerusalem.jpg; By Yourway-to-israel (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Obligatory link to context: \u00a0Ann Althouse\u00a0(with links in her own post), BBC\u00a0(containing the claim that Obama orchestrated the resolution), a tweetstorm by Omri Ceren. Just before Christmas, the UN passed a resolution condemning Israeli settlement in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as in violation of international law, and reiterating the demand that Israel must […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2209,"featured_media":5771,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[513,514],"class_list":["post-5769","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-israel","tag-palestinian-conflict"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/p>\n