Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Barak to Obama: We'll Be In

By Josh Marshall


Former Israeli Prime Minister and current Defense Minister Ehud Barak says he expects the Obama administration to unveil a Middle East peace plan within weeks and that Israel should accept it.

"In the coming weeks, their plan will be formulated and presented to the parties. I believe that Israel must take the lead in accepting the plan," Reuters quotes Barak as telling the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee of the Knesset.

This raises several interesting questions.


The pro-peace camp faction in and on the margins of the US government has been pushing for some time for the administration to present a more or less pre-packaged plan -- not the endless confidence building measures and incremental steps, but a full plan. And then the US muscles each side to accept it. We'll have to see whether this is really what we're going to see.

Second, it's very hard to imagine that this Netanyahu government could survive the acceptance of a plan the Obama administration would present. On the other hand, bringing Kadima into the government could more than make up for the parties on the right that would likely bolt.

Just a reminder that health care is not the only iron these folks have in the fire.

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