Obama: US to Re-Assess Israel Policies

US May Back UN Security Council Resolution on Palestinian Statehood

Israel had a good thing going over the last several years, claiming some nominal support for a two-state solution while having in its back pocket a US veto for any resolutions at the UN Security Council supporting the creation of a Palestinian state.

A spat between Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and President Obama, coupled with Netanyahu openly campaigning on his opposition to Palestinian statehood, seems to have changed that, and Obama has warned Netanyahu that the US is re-assessing its policies on Israel.

That could mean a lot of different things, but administration officials say it includes serious consideration of backing a UN Security Council resolution supporting, in principle, Palestinian statehood along the 1967 borders.

Pretty much the whole rest of the Security Council supports such resolutions as a matter of course, and the reason they never pass is because the US vetoes them for being “unhelpful” to Israel. Acrimony between the two nations may have changed that perspective, and Netanyahu’s open opposition to Palestinian self-determination could lead the US to conclude that he needs some serious coaxing to that end.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.