Ex-ambassador gives Obama an 'F'

President Barack Obama gets an “F” for his initial effort to promote peace between Israelis and Palestinians, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel said Tuesday.

Martin Indyk, ambassador to Israel under President Bill Clinton, told an Omaha audience the current president is trying hard to re-ignite diplomacy in the Middle East — trying, in fact, much harder than former President George W. Bush did.

But, he said, the growing mistrust between Israelis and Palestinians, the meddling influence of Iran, the Bush administration’s neglect and the Obama administration’s missteps have worsened the situation in the past year.

“It’s clear that things are not going as he planned,” Indyk said.

Indyk, who now serves as a vice president at the Brookings Institution, told the approximately 300 people gathered at UNO’s Alumni House to hear him that Obama planned on the quick support of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. It made some sense: Saudi Arabia and other Arab powers are alarmed by the Iranian support of Palestinian extremist groups like Hamas. Abdullah could deflate that Iranian influence by helping to normalize relations between Israel and much of the Arab world.

But King Abdullah, mistrustful of both Israel and the Palestinians, flatly turned Obama down, Indyk said. That resounding “no” echoed through the Middle East, sending other Arab leaders away from the peace process.

At the same time, George Mitchell, Obama’s special envoy to Israel, got bogged down in talks with the Israelis about the terms of a “settlement freeze,” meant to stop Israeli migration into Palestinian territories.

Mitchell violated one of the main rules of Middle East negotiations — stay out of the details, Indyk said.

“George Mitchell didn’t hear that sucking sound,” Indyk said.

Indyk admitted that he made mistakes of his own during years of diplomacy in the region. He noted that the Clinton administration failed to achieve “the holy grail of peacekeeping efforts” in Israel and the Palestinian territories. But Indyk did help broker the peace treaty between Israel and Jordan. He also participated in secret talks that eventually led to the chemical and nuclear disarmament of Libya.

The former ambassador is hopeful that the Obama administration will keep trying.

The former ambassador hopes the president starts by looking for small victories in the region. Maybe some disputed land returned to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. Maybe baby steps to normalize the relationship between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

Such progress is important because it’s the only way to achieve any lasting stability in the region. It’s the only way to peacefully prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. And it’s the only way to ensure the steady export of natural resources like oil, Indyk said.

“For America’s credibility, we need to find a way to succeed,” he said.

Contact the writer:

444-1064, matthew.hansen@owh.com

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