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AMERICA'S seeming indifference toward ending the Arab-Israeli conflict during the past eight years helped turn public opinion throughout the Muslim world against the United States, to the disadvantage of a myriad of US interests. President Obama can reverse this situation and convey that it is a new day in US Middle East policy. The era of neglect - benign and not so benign - must be seen as over.
If the cease-fire in Gaza holds, the Obama administration should lead an international effort to arrange a long-term armistice. It should extend for at least 10 years, and end all attacks on Israel and the smuggling of weapons by Hamas, in exchange for the lifting of the blockade on Gaza by Israel in a way that will not recognize Hamas as the legitimate authority in Gaza. This international effort should encompass all Arab states in the region, pressing Hamas to stop firing missiles at Israel.
The president has correctly sent his Middle East envoy, Senator George Mitchell, on a listening trip to Arab capitals and Israel. Mitchell's findings, when added to insights gained from inevitable early visits to Washington by foreign leaders, including Israel's new prime minister, will lay the groundwork for Obama's approach to the Mideast.
In addition, Obama should take the following steps during his first 100 days in office to address the Arab-Israeli conflict:
In his State of the Union address, he should say that his administration will immediately begin building on efforts of previous Democratic and Republican administrations to achieve a comprehensive peace between Israel and its neighbors. He should refer specifically to the Arab Peace Initiative and relevant UN Security Council resolutions. This initiative addresses virtually all aspects of the Arab-Israeli conflict simultaneously and can serve as an umbrella for negotiations. He should declare that America will seize any realistic proposal to play an active role to advance negotiations and support the Israeli-Palestinian and the indirect Israeli-Syrian talks.
Obama should announce that we will return an ambassador to Damascus to facilitate a more productive Syrian-American relationship, reiterating American support for Israeli-Syrian negotiations toward a peace agreement and stating that we hope to play an active role to advance them.
The president should give a speech to underscore that he views developments in the Middle East broadly and intends to pursue a policy that addresses the complexity of the security dilemmas facing the region in a comprehensive manner. This speech should lay out a vision of overall Arab-Israeli peace together with future policy directions for Iraq and for US-Iran relations.
President Obama should call on Israel to dismantle outposts, freeze all settlement construction, and crack down on all settler violence and incitement. He should also send a clear message to Hamas that so long as it engages in violence against Israel, it can expect no change in American attitudes toward it. An end to violence, however, would be acknowledged by the United States in a way that recognizes Mahmoud Abbas as the legitimate president and authority in Gaza.
The president should continue and even intensify the efforts of Generals Dayton, Jones, and Fraser to improve and unify the Palestinian security and police force, thereby creating a viable Palestinian security structure. He should also support the economic efforts of former prime minister Tony Blair.
Obama should announce his support for broad negotiations with Iran, without prior conditions, on all outstanding issues. These would include Iran's nuclear program, its activities vis--vis Iraq and Afghanistan, and its overall stance toward Israel - with specific reference to Iran's support for Hezbollah and Hamas. If there is progress in these negotiations, the president should declare his intention to reestablish formal diplomatic relations with Iran on a reciprocal basis as soon as Tehran is ready to do so.
These steps taken during President Obama's first 100 days would lay the groundwork for a new era in US Middle East policy.
Samuel W. Lewis, who was US ambassador to Israel and director of policy planning at the State Department, is senior policy adviser to the Israel Policy Forum. Edward S. Walker, who served as assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs and US ambassador to Israel, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates, is a member of the Israel Policy Forum American Advisory Council.
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