Moving the US embassy to Jerusalem in a smart way
I confess to finding The American Interest editor Adam Garfinkle a bit insufferable as a writer. His assurance that he is the smartest person in any room and that most everyone else is a dolt grates. I still read him however. For one thing he is quite witty. More important I cannot shake the suspicion that his self-evaluation is correct. So I faithfully consider his often-times contrarian views on any subject he touches.
Recently in the course of downplaying the hysteria over UN Security Council Resolution 2334 Garfinkle expressed his view that the bigger danger for Israel is that it will grow too enchanted with President Trump and make foolish decisions based on the feeling that it now has a great friend in the White House.
As an example of what concerns him he cited President Obama’s impact on the Palestinian Authority. Obama came into office determined to put daylight between the United States and Israel and to assure the Palestinians of his support. His second day in office he called for a complete Israeli settlement freeze.
The Palestinians had never advanced such a demand since the beginning of the Oslo process 15 years earlier because they knew it would bring all negotiations to a halt. But once the Americans made that demand the Palestinians could hardly be less assertive vis-a-vis Israel than the United States was on their behalf. And the consequence was just as the Palestinians had feared — an end to negotiations for almost the entirety of the Obama presidency.
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