Obama/Netanyahu conflict: Silver Lining or Wishful Thinking?

As bad as the conflict between POTUS Obama and Israeli PM Netanyahu may be – and IT IS REALLY BAD, it has the potential for unintended consequences – both good and bad. The “bad consequences” for Israel have already been articulated over and over in the press. A remote ‘silver lining” is that the deterioration of America’s relationship with both Israel and the Sunni Arab Countries, who share a common goal in halting both ISIS and Iran, may step up to the plate and try to resolve the Israeli/Palestinian conflict based on the realities of the Mideast VS the “hopes and dreams” of an inexperienced Barak Obama.

Simply put, there is a remote possibility that Egypt, under president Al-Sisi, would step up and replace the USA (John Kerry) in negotiating a lasting durable peace process that would culminate in a Palestinian State comprising of Gaza and part of Northern Sinai. Funding to establish the housing, industry and infrastructure of this area would be mostly Muslim/Israel funded, with possible Western aid after the fact. Israeli technology and agricultural expertise would assist in bringing this state into fruition. Egypt would provide security for the new demilitarized country. The Arab parts of the West Bank would become a single, demilitarized “satellite state” of the new Palestine. Israeli Arabs, who are by far more educated and Western oriented, would be given the option of taking Palestinian citizenship and staying in Israel, moving to the new Palestinian state with a basket of financial incentives, or staying in Israel as Israeli citizens. Based on this formula, the Israelis would be much more inclined to allow a small section of the old city of Jerusalem to act as the Palestinian capital, much like the Vatican is isolated in Rome.

Of course, the dual power structure that is the PA and Hamas would oppose – and defeat an idea that effectively could removes either (or both) of them from power. Egypt, Israel and Jordan share the goal of resolving the conflict and establishing a Palestinian state that is peaceful and provides security to the immediate borders that they all share. This “outside the box” thinking removes the legion of professional diplomats who don’t understand the region, and whose failed attempts have only made matters worse by raising unrealistic expectations – resulting in anger on all sides.

The best part of this possibility is that POTUS Obama would be able to take credit for changing the calculus, even though it was never his intention.