June 10th, 2008 by Matt

The speeches at AIPAC were probably the most important policy items that I missed while away, so I’ll address them briefly here, despite potential staleness (focusing only on Obama and McCain, as the general election so begins). Obama argued in his remarks that recent U.S. foreign policy has made Israel less secure by clumsily strengthening entities like Hamas, Hezbollah, the government of Iran, and other extremist organizations. For Obama, a solution is attained by: continuing large amounts of military aid to Israel ($30 billion over the next decade); a lasting two-state peace agreement with the Palestinians achieved in part by isolating Hamas (Obama opposed the 2006 elections that brought Hamas to power), championing Palestinian moderates (and asking other Arab states to do so as well), cutting off weapons smuggling through Egypt, and insisting that Israel live up to past agreements to improve freedom of movement, refrain from building new settlements, and aid economic conditions in the Palestinian territories.

All of these strategies would be accompanied by tough-minded engagement with Iran and Syria (which Obama elaborates on in more detail than I am aware of him doing previously) and a comprehensive energy policy that would help move us away from indirectly bankrolling many of the problems we are trying to fight.

At the Foreign Policy blog, Blake Hounshell wonders if Obama’s take on an “undivided” Jerusalem might come back to haunt him down the road.

Posted in Election 08, Israel, Mideast Peace Plan, Palestine, US foreign policy, US politics, Uncategorized |