Obama to ask Israel for direct peace talks based on Arab League peace plan

President Obama today appears to have taken a significant step in his peace plans for the Middle East. Obama met with King Abdullah of Jordan in Washington and according to Haaretz, he was "very impressed" with the Arab peace plan.

The Arab peace plan to which Obama was referring is the 2002 Arab Initiative which -among other things- calls on Israel to pull its national borders back to the pre-1967 war lines. In other words, according to the Arab League, for peace to be achieved in the Middle East it is incumbant upon Israel to surrender: the Golan Heights, the West Bank and Old Jerusalem. And Israel must accept a Palestinian state. In exchange, the Arabs promise to establish normal realtions with Israel and take charge of security for the region.

Naturally, the Arab Initiative is a one-sided initiative favoring the Arabs. Perhaps that is why the Obama Administration chose its words carefully via its Middle East envoy, George Mitchell, saying the White House plans to "incorporate" the Arab Initiative into their own Middle East peace plan. Reiterating this point, President Obama in the press conference following his meeting with King Abdullah complemented the Arab Peace Initiative as "a very constructive start." In political speak this sounds as though Obama is in favor of the Arab Initiative.

Interestingly, Debkafile notes that "The Jordanian king left with the president a document listing the deal the Arab states are ready to offer Israel for withdrawing to the pre-1967 war lines, i.e. evacuating the West Bank, Golan Heights and historic Jerusalem, and accepting the foundation of a Palestinian state. The two leaders agreed the document would not be published before Obama presents it to Netanyahu at the White House in June. He will ask the Israeli prime minister for an immediate answer and urge him to accept the Arab peace plan as the basis for direct negotiations with the Palestinians and Syria in which the United States will be actively engaged. Our sources add that the US president is seriously considering making a televised speech before Netanyahu's arrival to play up the Arab proposals on offer provided Israel is ready to make far-reaching concessions to the Palestinians and Syria."

Leo Rennert in his American Thinker piece rightly concludes, "One is left to wonder if the President is aware of the full implications of the Saudi-Arab peace initiative, or how he's put Israel behind the eight ball by praising King Abdullah's efforts to put it front and center in future peace negotiations. Since Obama previously was quoted as saying that 'the Israelis would be crazy not to support this initiative,' it is past time for him to explain how he reconciles the real Saudi plan with Israel's real security challenges."