Another View of Obama Administration Policy and Israel

Regarding (former New York Mayor) Ed Koch's explanation in NewsMax for feeling slighted on behalf of Israel and the Obama administration's team approach to getting it wrong.

I don't think there is any mistake by Obama. He and the administration see Israel's policies as too uni-dimensional and therefore "stubborn" and intransigent, when in fact it is Hamas and because of Hamas' commitment to Israel's destruction, create's the PLO's reflected inability to move politically because of Hamas, and it's proxy efforts with support from Syria, Iran, and probably Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The timing of the Jerusalem housing effort was unfortunate, but not an accident. Elements within the Netanyahu government, particularly the Housing Ministry, reflect the more Conservative parts of an Israeli coalition government, and overlook no opportunity to pressure the Israeli government on housing, settlements and other issues they consider all-important.

In his heart, Netanyahu mostly agrees with the more Conservative elements, and not withstanding Israel's need for U.S. support, Netanyahu stood by the official government position in discussion with the Obama administration, and in spite of the tongue-lashing Obama gave him privately.
This is also a good time to stress the need for promoting the negotiations that will lead to the arrival of a Palestinian State whose security is equal to Israel's, but whose right to that statehood was declared and affirmed so many times over the 60-odd years since Israeli independence was mandated.

That Arab and other Middle East states and "players" seem to have a vested interest in prolonging the conflict is so obvious to many observers, and that the conflict would end overnight with good "counseling" from the opposing states is equally obvious. Worse, the opposition doesn't agree on any solution, just supports whomever seems most strident and who seems to have the most support internally.

A few words from a united group of Arab opposition states, combined with substantial financial commitments to facilitate infrastructure and economic development would work a modern miracle. Obama administration diplomacy would be well advised to write a new page in the Diplomatic Playbook which puts getting a plan of commitment from the "supporting" players. Absent that, it is pretty obvious that 60 years plus of continuing and ever-threatening hostility will resurface again and again.

Koch's "refresher" on the history of the Middle East was helpful, and the U.S. press would be doing a service to Americans if they were to devote some equally expository attention to the background of these issues.