Has Obama turned his back on the Palestinians?
As Israel continues to build and expand settlements in the occupied territories, President Barack Obama appears to have reneged on the commitment he made in 2009 to resolve the Palestinian situation "with all the patience and dedication that the task requires."
On Sept. 29 in Al-Monitor, I referred to the strategy devised by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the face of what was once called “disturbing the peace and order” and is now known as “stone terrorism.” Netanyahu declared, “Whoever tries to attack us, we will hurt him.” Regrettably, especially for the four children of the Henkin family left orphaned Oct. 1, the threat by the leader whose election slogan described him as “strong in the face of Hamas” did not stop the terrorists who shot and killed their parents, Naama and Eitam Henkin, in front of them.
The moment of extended silence by the leader “strong on defense” (another election slogan) on the podium of the UN General Assembly — a device intended to protest the “world’s silence” on anti-Israeli terrorism — did not reverberate after the Oct. 3 stabbing deaths in Jerusalem of Nehemia Lavi and Aharon Bennett, may they rest in peace. These two men joined other victims of the cycle of occupation-freeze-violence-occupation drafted by Netanyahu. The Sept. 30 “firecracker” speech by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the United Nations, the speech billed in advance as a “bombshell,” served as a warning that on the Palestinian side as well, the pro-violence camp is usurping the pro-diplomacy camp.
