BARAK OBAMA’S MIDDLE EAST POLICY

Palestine dispute is one of the long and controversial issues in our world today. During the First World War the Jews promised to help the British government on the condition that they would help Jews in the establishment of their homeland. At first it was decided that a Jewish State would be created in Africa, but later on it was decided in Middle East. In 1917, the Balfour Declaration was a land mark for Israel. Palestine was a colony of British Empire at that time and they considered it as right to decide their fate. Most of the Palestinians were expelled from their homeland by force and compelled to live in camps like refugees. The massacres of Palestinians in Shateela and Sabra in 1982 testify that they were not allowed to live in those camps too.

United States has always worked for its own national interests in Middle East and supported Israel through out the dispute. As a Veto Power United States had veto number of resolutions in United Nation Security Council, which shows the dearness.

Like other Administrations in past, the Obama Administration has the same policy for Middle East. The Arab world and particularly the Palestinians have witnessed nothing changed.

The "special" US-Israeli relationship has always reflected the dark-side of picture. In fact it’s United States which has allowed Israeli to act in such a brutal manner that is not new to the Palestinians. US has given a licence to kill type of authority to them while any appeal or request for the peace and dialogue, is just a Media cover to that.

In a press briefing at White House on April 21, Obama said that achieving a lasting peace and the creation of a Palestinian state requires commitments on the part of all parties involved. Obama means that after suffering for almost 60 years, the Palestinians are not serious or have not shown any commitment. Rather it the Israel which has always stepped back when ever the two parties reached into any agreement.

“The prospect of an Arab-Israeli peace still exists, but will require some difficult choices,” once said by Obama. But when and how these difficult choices will be adopted, there is no sign of it.

“And it’s going to require that we create some concrete steps that all parties can take that are evidence of that resolution. And the United States is going to deeply engage in this process to see if we can make progress,” Barak ObamaBarak Obama said after meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah II. But at the same time we had already witnessed that “deeply engagements”, with no fruitful results.

Obama has once said that diplomats can not talk forever and at some point steps need to be taken to meet the objective of the talks, which is of course a two-state solution, an Independent Israel and Palestinians State. He said that both the sides also had to show that there is progress on the ground.

Secretary of State Hillary ClintonHillary Clinton has taken an almost exclusively pro-Israel stance so far, whenever she discussed the politics in Middle East. She has already favoured Israel’s war on Lebanon and Hezbollah in July-August 2006. She supported the separation wall Israel is building in the West Bank, and she has not spoken a single word against Israel’s expanding settlements in the Occupied Territories. Although she favours a two-state solution and an independent Palestine and considers the Bush administration’s disengagement from the Palestinian-Israeli peace process a mistake, but she offers no specifics about bringing Israelis and Palestinians to a new understanding, which means she looks at the whole matter with an Israeli eye.

Like Secretary Clinton, the new US administration has repeatedly requested Israel to stop construction in West Bank, but it has no effect. Rather the Israelites protested over it, which means Israelis did not expect any request or appeal from their friends in America which is related to the Palestinians.

A latest survey found that only 38 percent of Israelis think Obama is friendly to Israel, compared with the result of a 2007 poll showing 73 percent of Israelis have favorable views on Obama's predecessor George W. BushGeorge W. Bush.

But the ground reality is the same as it was. Israel attacks and war in Gaza early this year in evident that human rights abuses and killing of innocent civilians are not worth than US interests and friends in the area.

The former Hammas government was an elected one and the Palestinians have given them the power to rule, following a democratic process and free and fair election, but along with other friendly countries of Israel in the West, United States, the world champion of Democracy, was also against them. Hammas government was not supported by the Americans, only on the basis of their stance on Palestinian issue. The rich and self-interested states stopped the funds of Hammas government. Other hurdles were created in the way in order to destabilize their government. Finally Mehmood Abbas was used for the task and Hammas government was over thrown.

The Arabs and Palestinians did not expect so much of the Obama administration and there is no hope for them in near future, which helps them to live with peace.

The Obama’s Middle East policy will never be fruitful; until and unless United States stop supporting one parties to the issue. Engagement of true Palestinian leadership including Hammas, in peace negotiations, with Israel on equal basis, will led to a durable and lasting settlement to the issue. The role of neighbouring Arab states is also an important one and they have already shown willingness to the Two States solution formula. The first ever Black President of United States has an opportunity to review and change the policy regarding the Middle East, for the best interest of humanity.