Does Anyone Think That Behind The Scenes Obama Pushed Palestine To Ask For UN Statehood .....

[global1]

recognition to force Israel into a position to now be supportive of direct talks? Seems to me this issue of Palestinian statehood has brought the issue to a head and will lead to real serious talks with a positive outcome. If Palestine didn't push for statehood - we wouldn't be talking about all this now and things would continue as they have. Palestine pushing for statehood has brought international attention to this and seems to have forced Benjamin Net to the negotiation table - something I don't think he really wanted to do. I'm thinking that Obama is playing some 3 dimensional chess here with this one and I'm thinking that perhaps it might work. I know it seems to put Obama in a uncomfortable position right now - but he seemed to handle it really well in his speech to the UN today. I was really impressed by it. It was really well structured and made a lot of sense.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

No. It's an absurd idea.

Think about it. The Israelis don't do what you propose and punish the Palistinians for attempting it. The Palestinians reveal that Obama talked them into it.

Now what?

Obama is playing to the domestic electorate and their knee-jerk support of Israel. Think 3rd Way rather than 3 dimensional chess.

[kiranon]

11. Agree. n/t

[MadHound]

1. If that's what you believe, I've got a piece of fine swamp. . .er farmland to sell you in Florida

No, Obama was not playing chess with this one, he was playing politics. He's not going to allow Palestine to get statehood via the UN because to do so would alienate too many voters in this country.

Palestine is going to have statehood dangled out in front of them, but never allowed to grab it.

[JDPriestly]

5. If Palestinians were smart, they would announce that they are prepared

to accept the existence of a Jewish state in the area based on additional negotiations. They should state their conditions for recognizing a Jewish state -- like no discrimination, an economic union, the terms of the 1947 Resolution 181, and then take it from there.

If they don't do that, they won't have my sympathy.

The Palestinians have been deluding themselves for several generations with the idea that they can get whatever they want. Meanwhile, the Israelis have gotten pretty much what they want.

It's time for the Palestinians to do an about face and try an entirely different strategy, change the presumptions on which the Israelis have operated since the assassination of Rubin.

That is the only way that the stalemate can be ended.

Lots of Evangelicals are very pro-Israel (some quite fanatically).

[MadHound]

6. And even if they did so, it wouldn't make a damn bit of difference

Israel doesn't want a two state solution. That is obvious from their actions, continuing to open up settlements on West Bank. You don't take such actions unless you plan on staying there for a long time.

[JDPriestly]

12. Not true. Israel has destroyed settlements before. There is a precedent

for that. Israel will give up some of the settlements as the Palestinians reciprocate.

The original UN Resolution foresaw an economic union. That should be the real goal, not just mutual recognition.

[OHdem10]

2. Absolutely not, We are as isolated as Israel. This is the last

thing he would want.

Everyone knows there will be no change until
the Israelis and Palestinians negotiate a Peace Deal.

Even if the UN votes positive for Palestine, we
veto it. Nothing happens that changes things
for the Palestinians. We are just embarassed .

[dennis4868]

3. Did you miss your...

therapy session today? :-)

[blindpig]

4. Oh yes, and he's been for single payer all along....

us peons shouldn't believe our lying eyes, give the Chessmaster some space!

[11 Bravo]

8. Keep searching ... there's an acorn out there somewhere with your name on it.

[Recovered Repug]

7. Does anyone else think that

there are events in the world that happen without Obama's (or any presidents) prior knowledge or consent?

[quinnox]

9. Yea right, and he is also a super progressive

its just in secret though, and he deliberately acts like a centrist to confuse people.

[Worship Money]

10. All things being equal..

In a vacuum, I think Obama is for a Palestinian state.

There's (at least) two problems. He knows some people will directly refuse to vote for him if he openly supported this/disavowed the Israelis. Second (and more importantly), he knows that the right wing would take that acknowledgement and use it against him in ANYTHING and EVERYTHING until the election. They'd tie to it their moral hysteria, national security BS, terrorist appeasment, etc. It would be the birther/Kenyan craze on steroids. And given the ignorance of enough the base, he knows that it would likely work.

Basically, I think that to win the election, he has to sacrifice the Palestinian state, or at least HIS support of it. It sucks.