On King Abdullah's speech and open discussion
Wed Mar 07, 2007 at 01:11:02 PM PDT
Today's speech by King Abdullah II of Jordan in a joint session of Congress once more brought to light the difficulty of the role of the United States in the most important issue that stands in the way of stability in the Middle East: the Israel-Palestine situation.
While the speech highlighted some truths of the Middle East situation, it was the reactions to it that show that things are unlikely to change anytime soon. A major problem is a lack of open and frank discussion of the Israel-Palestine situation in Congress.
First, let's look at the speech itself. It is a plea for the United States government to become more involved in the peace process. The Bush administration was basically only involved for a while in the run-up to the Afghanistan invasion, but then completely dropped the ball on both Afghanistan and the Israel-Palestine situation to focus on Iraq.
King Abdullah said:
Thirteen years later, that work [the peace process] is still not completed. And until it is, we are all at risk. We are all at risk of being victims of further violence resulting from ideologies of terror and hatred. It is our greatest and most urgent duty to prevent such dangers to our region, to your country and to the world. The choice is ours: an open world full of promise, progress and justice for all; or a closed world of divided peoples, fear, and unfulfilled dreams. Nothing impacts this choice more than the future of peace in the Middle East.
I come to you today at a rare, and indeed historic, moment of opportunity, when there is a new international will to end the catastrophe. And I believe that America, with its enduring values, its moral responsibility, and yes, its unprecedented power, must play the central role.
Some may say, ‘Peace is difficult, we can live with the status quo.’ But, my friends, violent killings are taking place as part of this status quo. Palestinians and Israelis are not the only victims. We saw the violence ricochet into destruction in Lebanon last summer. And people around the world have been the victims of terrorists and extremists, who use the grievances of this conflict to legitimize and encourage acts of violence. Americans and Jordanians and others have suffered and survived terrorist attacks. In this room, there are representatives of American families and Jordanian families who have lost loved ones. Thousands of people have paid the highest price, the loss of their life. Thousands more continue to pay this terrible price, for their loved ones will never return. Are we going to let these thousands of lives be taken in vain? Has it become acceptable to lose that most basic of human rights? The right to live?
He is absolutely right. This is the basic, defining issue of the Middle East. Solving it would go a long, long way towards taking the wind out of the sails of extremist Islamic organizations.
But, were these true words good enough for those who were listening? Sadly, no. In the all too predictable pattern, Democrats fell over eachother to denounce the speech (yes, Fox News link, but I have no reason to doubt the quotes):
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said he was "disappointed" in the king for not mentioning the "principle undermining factor in getting to peace," namely, Palestinian terrorist organizations, as well as Hezbollah and Al Qaeda.
"He should've talked about Hamas. ... This is a forum in which he could have done that usefully," said Hoyer, D-Md.
"Profoundly disappointing … a missed opportunity," Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Lantos, D-Calif., said of the speech.
I know that Hamas is an organization that is to be condemned. But why the kneejerk reactions just because this speech didn't include an explicit denouncement of Hamas? It also didn't include an explicit denouncement of Israeli settlements, or the wall along the border (no, I am not comparing those with Hamas). My point is, it did not denounce any specific action by either side. And that makes the entire speech worthless?
This is one of the more serious problems. The United States government is probably the only entity that has leverage on the Israeli government. On the other side, moderate Arab forces can provide pressure. But, that leverage that the US has, has not been used recently. One of the reasons is that a frank, open discussion of the Israeli-Palestine situation seems to be very hard in Congress. Representatives almost try to outdo eachother with statements of unqualified support for Israel. So much so, that it doesn't seem natural.
As we can see on DailyKos, there is a wide range of opinions on this matter. Why are the sounds from the major players in Congress so one-sided? I remember the time that Howard Dean dared to use the word "even-handed" when referring to the Israel-Palestine situation. Congressional Democratic leaders lined up to bash him for it. And last summer, noone even dared to sound a critical note about the Israeli government's actions in Lebanon, while other governments around the world expressed concern about the intensity and scale of Israel's reaction, and the number of civilian casualties. And yes, of course, the other side has a whole lot to be criticized for, too, to put it midly. But the fact that I have to anticipate this and put that disclaimer in there, shows that open discussion is very hard.
The lack of open discussion, especially in Congress, the legislative body of the only country that has leverage on one side of the issue, is a very serious obstacle to peace in the Middle East.
To quote King Abdullah:
We can wait no longer and that is why I am here before you. We must work together to restore Palestine, a nation in despair and without hope. We must work together to restore peace, hope and opportunity to the Palestinian people. And in so doing, we will begin a process of building peace, not only throughout the region, but throughout the world. How much more bloodshed and how many more lives will it cost for this grave situation to be resolved?
I say: No more bloodshed and no more lives pointlessly taken!
The young boy, traveling to school with his brother in Palestine, let him have a life of peace.
The mother, watching with fear as her children board a bus in Israel, let her have a life of peace.
The father in Lebanon, working hard to provide an education for his children, let him have a life of peace.
The little girl, born in Iraq, with her wide eyes full of wonder, let her have a life of peace.
The family, together eating their evening meal, in Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe, Australia, and the Middle East, let them all have a life of peace.
Today my friends, we must speak; we cannot be silent.
The next time a Jordanian, a Palestinian, or an Israeli comes before you, let it be to say: Thank you for helping peace become a reality.
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