Referencing Mitchell’s “proven record of peacemaking” in Northern Ireland, Munayyer said, “Mitchell is someone that’s going to be perceived as even-handed by both sides, which [will] go a great way in terms of the required good faith that negotiators need to have to make the kind of concessions that will lead to a lasting peace.”
According to Munayyer, an “even-handed approach” would be “one where the American interlocutors as a mediator willing to listen to both sides, willing to enforce equally promises made by both sides and not favor one side over the other.”
On the other hand, Rabbi Michael Lerner, editor of Tikkun and chair of the Spiritual Network of Progressives, said, “Within the framework that Clinton and Obama are thinking of, I think it’s an excellent choice. I think the framework, however, is a mistaken framework. The framework is one which the United States is to repeat the Clinton years.”
The framework is crucial and many will no doubt focus on the players instead of the play itself rather than hone in on the fact that the plan itself is flawed.
When asked if Gaza missing from the itinerary and if the peace envoy not including someone like former President Jimmy Carter (who recently published "We Can Have Peace In The Holy Land: A Plan That Will Work") showed why the framework was off, Rabbi Lerner said:
I don’t think the issue is do we go to Gaza or we don’t go to Gaza, whether Hamas is including or do we not include Hamas originally---These are the distraction kind of issues. There’s a larger framework. That large framework is that there is not going to be peace until there is a willingness on the part of Israel to return the West Bank to the Palestinian people.
Former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, unlike Rabbi Lerner, is concerned by the small details within the framework. She wrote a statement directed at President Barack Obama recently which took specific issue with the fact that Gaza is not on the itinerary and Hamas will most likely not be included in talks while the peace envoy is in the Middle East.
Ruebner referred to last week’s State Department press conference on the conflict where Obama spoke about how “the borders of Gaza should be open both for humanitarian aid and for regular commerce.”
To Ruebner, this was “a radical departure from Bush administration policy on the issue because Bush Admin fully supported Israel’s blockade and siege of the Gaza strip.” He added, “The borders are actually still closed but by him giving rhetorical support for Gaza that was a very positive indication.”
The U.S. Congress
Currently, the United States is at a critical point where it has an opportunity to restore the world’s faith in what the U.S. likes to refer to as leadership. But, Munayyer said Congress is “really preoccupied by other domestic issues primarily the economic stimulus plan.”
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