The United States fell squarely into the trap set by the Republican majority back into the 1990s, assisted by AIPAC, the irresolution of the Obama administration, and Palestinians desperate to end more than a half-century of justice denied as funding for UNESCO, one of the United Nations’ most important and prestigious organizations, was automatically cut off after the great majority of members nations voted on Monday to admit Palestine to the body.
Thus, already alienated from many European nations and most of the Arab world by its threat to veto Palestinian membership in the UN General Assembly, the US and its controlling player, Israel, stand more than ever by themselves, while discussions about a two-state solution inch ever closer to (or father away from) realization, depending on ever-expanding Israeli settlements in occupied lands and Palestinian demands for a freeze. Cue much hand-wringing in Washington.
It’s presently a game in which no one really wins, but the Palestinians lose more than anyone. Time to reboot. (Note to State Department: abstinence makes the heart grow fonder.)
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