Possibility of Arab democracies may mean less need for Israeli support
While the mainstream news here has only been giving us a brief glance into the political unrest in countries such as Egypt and Libya, citizens are fighting to change their oppressive governments all over the Middle East. Should the various uprisings succeed, the Western world would have newfound, democratic friends in the area, leaving Israel with less than our full support.
This might cause some to ask, "Wait, why can't we be buddies with Israel if it's no longer our only ally in the area?" The answer is as old as Israel itself: Palestinian conflict. Despite United Nations resolutions, Israelis continue to settle in Palestinian territory and severely restrict the flow of citizens and necessary resources along the borders. Despite the numerous hardships this causes for the people, the two parties have not been able to agree on a solution after decades of negotiations.
Tired and fed up, the Palestinians have applied for statehood with the U.N. Should the 15-member Security Council vote in approval, Palestine would be recognized as a separate state and would be able to use international courts to prosecute the Israeli mistreatment and illegal settling. This leaves the U.S. in a predicament. It can exercise its veto power and side with our longtime pal while these injustices continue, and in doing so alienate these new, fresh starts for diplomacy among other Arab nations. On the flip side, if the U.S. abstains or votes "for," it would certainly lose any good will between itself and Israel.
President Barack Obama has said that he wants to see the Palestinian flag flying at the U.N. However, he says he only wants to see it as a result from peace talks between the two parties, and therefore will support a decision to veto Palestine's vote, thus denying Palestine any leverage in the situation. The world is a-changing, and holding onto diplomatic relations with an oppressive country, only to spoil opportunities with a new Arab world, simply makes no sense.
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