On the recordOctober 6, 2011
The recent Palestinian bid for U.N. recognition effectively abandons direct negotiations as the structure for pursuing peace in the Middle East. To those who question the United States' solidarity with Israel in the face of this bid, the answer is that it is in America's interest to stand strong with its friend and ally. The Arab Spring is dramatically altering the dynamics of the Israeli- Palestinian conflict and the wider region. Familiar antagonists are seizing on a new populism to stir up anti-Israel sentiment. It's no surprise that countries like Iran would seek to hijack the sentiment of the Arab Spring, but who would have predicted that NATO member Turkey would turn against its former ally, Israel, with such ferocity? Among other things, Turkey's behavior appears calculated to establish strategic dominance of the eastern Mediterranean by putting pressure on the Israeli-American alliance. One critical way for the United States to discourage this kind of adventurism in the region is to continue to affirm its unbreakable bond with the State of Israel. ____________________
