{"id":91151,"date":"2021-12-08T17:05:09","date_gmt":"2021-12-08T15:05:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=91151"},"modified":"2021-12-04T18:31:12","modified_gmt":"2021-12-04T16:31:12","slug":"01-05-69","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=91151","title":{"rendered":"Politico: Israel Alone Standing in Way of \u2018Balanced\u2019 US Mideast Policy"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>Politico: Israel Alone Standing in Way of \u2018Balanced\u2019 US Mideast Policy<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

harles Bybelezer<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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People hold Hamas flags as Palestinians gather after performing the last Friday of Ramadan to protest over the possible eviction of several Palestinian families from homes on land claimed by Jewish settlers in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood, in Jerusalem\u2019s Old City, May 7, 2021. REUTERS\/Ammar Awad<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Following the ceasefire agreement that halted May\u2019s\u00a0Hamas-initiated conflict with Israel<\/a>, US President Joe Biden\u00a0told<\/a>\u00a0the world that \u201cPalestinians and Israelis equally deserve to live safely and securely and enjoy equal measures of freedom, prosperity and democracy,\u201d adding: \u201cMy administration will continue our quiet and relentless diplomacy toward that end.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It was a statement that many felt reflected a tone of moderation with respect to Washington\u2019s policy towards the Israeli-Palestinian impasse.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet,\u00a0Politico<\/em>\u00a0has now cast doubt on Biden\u2019s ability to strike such a balance in an article titled,\u00a0\u201c<\/a><\/em>Biden\u2019s balancing act in the Middle East has a problem: Israel,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0in which the outlet details alleged Israeli misdeeds at great length, while glossing over the perpetual issue of\u00a0Palestinian terrorism<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0obstructionism<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The piece criticizes Israel for its designation in October of\u00a0six Palestinian NGOs as terrorist organizations<\/a>, framing the move as an irritant to Biden\u2019s \u2018fairness\u2019 plan. This verdict is clearly colored by the views of Ubai Aboudi, the executive director of one of the affected NGOs, who\u00a0Politico<\/em>\u00a0describes as having been targeted by the \u201cIsraeli crackdowns on rights activists.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Aboudi is quoted as saying that Biden\u2019s commitment to peacemaking must \u201cbe reflected by holding human rights violators [i.e. Israel] accountable.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

However,\u00a0Politico<\/em>\u00a0then notes that Aboudu has also \u201cbeen targeted by the Palestinian Authority [PA], whose attempts to silence dissent also have drawn scrutiny from rights advocates.\u201d Strikingly, though,\u00a0Politico<\/em>\u00a0does not surmise that such actions by the Palestinian leadership have created hurdles for Biden\u2019s foreign policy \u2014 apparently only Israel\u2019s have.<\/span><\/p>\n

Indeed, a prominent theme throughout the entire piece is the whitewashing of the intransigence of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the effect that Ramallah has on shaping Israel\u2019s domestic policy in this area:<\/span><\/p>\n

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A State Department official insisted that the Biden administration wants both the Israeli government and Palestinian leaders to \u2018refrain from unilateral steps that exacerbate tensions.\u2019 That includes \u2018providing compensation for individuals imprisoned for acts of terrorism,\u2019 the official said, referring to a controversial Palestinian practice Israeli leaders often decry.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The so-called \u201cpay-for-slay\u201d policy in which Palestinian terrorists who slaughter Israelis are given monthly salaries is downplayed as little more than a \u201ccontroversial\u201d practice.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet, this policy \u2014 and the PA\u2019s obstinate refusal to change it \u2014 is absolutely relevant, not least because the\u00a0\u201cMartyrs\u2019 Fund\u201d<\/a>\u00a0has directly led to Israel freezing funds it collects on the PA\u2019s behalf, as well as the United States having previously halted\u00a0aid payments to Palestinians<\/a>\u00a0as per the provisions of the Taylor Force Act.<\/span><\/p>\n

Israeli Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked is also quoted in the story, telling\u00a0Politico<\/em>\u00a0that Israel is subjected to disproportionate criticism:<\/span><\/p>\n

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Shaked expressed frustration that there was so much questioning of Israeli actions toward Palestinians when Palestinian militants are constantly threatening Israeli lives.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018The fact that people compare, it\u2019s outrageous,\u2019 said Shaked, who is known for strident views when it comes to Palestinians. \u2018Israelis are being murdered for many years by Arabs.\u2019\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Again, the issue that Shaked raises is seemingly glossed over as just par for the course, as opposed to a\u00a0major obstacle to peace<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, the ceaseless threat of Palestinian terrorism \u2014 including by the\u00a0US-designated terrorist group Hamas<\/a>, which is almost entirely ignored\u00a0Politico<\/em>\u2019s piece \u2014 can be juxtaposed against the supposed egregious sins that Israel is guilty of, according to\u00a0Politico<\/em>:<\/span><\/p>\n

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Recent reports of a rise in Israeli settler violence against Palestinians, too, have drawn concern in the Biden administration. Rights groups allege that the settler violence is part of a broader, often state-sanctioned effort to push Palestinians off of more land in the West Bank.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

It is interesting that\u00a0Politico<\/em>\u00a0notes the concerns of organizations that claim alleged acts of violence are part of a \u201cstate-sanctioned effort,\u201d but does not bother to report the fact that the \u201cstate,\u201d i.e. the government, has explicitly condemned any such actions by Jews living beyond the 1967 borders, including Foreign Minister Yair Lapid who labeled it a form of \u201cterror.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Politico<\/em>\u00a0caps its subtle anti-Israel rhetoric by touching on the Abraham Accords, the historic US-brokered agreements that it acknowledges \u201chave seen a significant growth in diplomatic, economic and other relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But bizarrely, the article suggests that the deal has been another impediment to peace, arguing \u201cthe accords have left the Palestinians feeling betrayed by Arab countries they long considered allies.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While some Palestinians may feel the deals were a mark of disloyalty by those who should support their cause, it is baffling that\u00a0Politico<\/em>\u00a0chooses to ignore the attitude taken by the PA, which could have used the Abraham Accords as a vehicle for peace.<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead, Ramallah has\u00a0chosen<\/a>\u00a0to stick to its maximalist positions and antagonistic views rather than taking the opportunity to return to the negotiating table with Israel.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a piece ostensibly about balance, it is a shame that\u00a0Politico<\/em>\u00a0could not have demonstrated some of this quality in its reportage.<\/span><\/p>\n

Israel is not the fly in Biden\u2019s foreign policy ointment \u2014 it is a whole lot more complicated than that.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The author is the Managing Editor of HonestReporting<\/strong>, where a version of this article was\u00a0first published<\/a>.<\/strong><\/span> Other HonestReporting staffers contributed to this story.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Politico: Israel Alone Standing in Way of \u2018Balanced\u2019 US Mideast Policy harles Bybelezer People hold Hamas flags as Palestinians gather after performing the last Friday of Ramadan to protest over the possible eviction of several Palestinian families from homes on land claimed by Jewish settlers in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood, in Jerusalem\u2019s Old City, May […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[26,24],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91151"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=91151"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91151\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":91360,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91151\/revisions\/91360"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=91151"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=91151"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=91151"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}