Middle East Peace Depends on Obama

LAS CRUCES, NM--(Marketwire - August 11, 2009) - Recent revelations of alleged human rights violations by the Israeli military during the Gaza War, along with aggressive rhetoric from both sides -- combined with a peace process being ushered by Israel's conservative hawk Benjamin Netanyahu -- have combined to create more complications for America's war on terror. As a result, the whole mess has landed the Middle East peace process in a very familiar place: on the desk of the US President.

That's the opinion of David Price, a scientist turned political activist and author of the book "The (Induced) Ignorance of Power," www.roadmapforamerica.com, who spent 10 years in the Middle East and understands the culture better than most who are commenting on the conflict.

"The recent allegations from the human rights group 'Breaking the Silence' that Israel engaged in systematic human rights abuses and war crimes in Gaza, comes as no surprise," Price said. "In the 1980s forces under the control of Israel massacred 700+ unarmed refugees during a similar incursion into Lebanon. Washington turned a cold shoulder to the allegations, and the memory of that inaction -- combined with decades of enmity with the Arab world and religious extremists -- continue to plague America's efforts to halt terrorism."

In addition, US President Barack Obama has taken a harder line with Israel than previous presidents, including his predecessor George W. Bush.

"Barack Obama has stated settlement activity must stop, and has intimated aid to Israel may be withheld," Price added. "This is the first time in modern history that an American president has even head-faked in that direction. Even more significant, President Obama has said there must be a two state solution. Israel must withdraw from lands seized in violation of UN mandates, and the Palestinian Territories must be given autonomy. Considering it took Netanyahu decades to even utter the words 'Palestinian state' in the same sentence together, this is a dramatic turn of events in US/Israeli relations. With the US one of Israel's last remaining allies, it's possible that Obama's hard line may be just what it takes for the parties involved to take each other seriously in a renewed peace process."

About David P. Price

Political activist David Price is a PhD-holding scientist and agricultural consultant with extensive international experience, specifically in the Middle East.

Contact Information: Contact: Rachel Friedman Rachel@newsandexperts.com