Report: Obama backs Saudi plan to force Israel to 1949 borders, divide Jerusalem

[Israel Insider]

Despite all his election promises and assurances to Jewish groups and Israelis, Barack Obama plans to throw his weight behind the Saudi royal family's 2002 plan to roll back Israel to at least its 1949 borders, the Times of London reported Sunday, citing sources close to America’s president-elect.

While the Saudi plan calls for recognition of Israel by Arab states, such promises have historically proven of scant value relative to the "hard currency" of territorial retreats. Tzipi Livni, the Israeli foreign minister and leader of the ruling Kadima party, and President Shimon Peres, have said that the Saudi plan could be a starting point for discussions but have stopped far short of accepting it.

Contrary to Obama's promises at the last AIPAC conference in support of an "undivided Jerusalem" -- a position he retreated from days later -- the Saudi plan divides Jerusalem, hands over the Old City, Temple Mount and the adjacent Western Wall to the Arabs, and calls on Israel to take responsibility for the "Palestinian refugee problem." It requires Israel to restore the strategic Golan Heights to Syria and allow the Palestinians to establish their capital in east Jerusalem. It would dismantle all Jewish settlements and even Jewish suburbs of Jerusalem, dislocating nearly a half-million Israelis, and leaving the state behind what diplomatic dove Abba Eban described as "Auschwitz borders."

On a visit to the Middle East last July, the president-elect said privately it would be “crazy” for Israel to refuse a deal that could “give them peace with the Muslim world”, according to a senior Obama adviser.

Apparently there are many crazy Israeli, since the Saudi plan is unacceptable to the vast majority of Israelis, including Benjamin Netanyahu of the Likud, the frontrunner to be prime minister in the next round of elections, slated for February 2009.

The Arab peace plan received a boost last week when President Shimon Peres, a Nobel peace laureate and leading Israeli dove, commended the initiative at a Saudi-sponsored United Nations conference in New York, stepping far beyond the ceremonial role that the Presidential role typically accords. He was loudly applauded for sycophantically telling King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, who was behind the original initiative: “I wish that your voice will become the prevailing voice of the whole region, of all people.”

There are unconfirmed reports that the conference had to be temporarily suspended as Peres sought with difficulty to extract his proboscis from the rectum of the plenum.

A bipartisan group of senior foreign policy advisers have urged Obama to give the Arab plan top priority immediately after his election victory as the basis for an imposed solution on Israel. The advisers -- enemies of Israel all -- included Lee Hamilton, the former co-chairman of the Iraq Study Group, and Zbigniew Brzezinski, a Democrat former national security adviser.

Brent Scowcroft, a Republican former national security adviser and Israel bashed, piled on as well, suggesting that an early start to the Palestinian peace process was “a way to psychologically change the mood of the region”.

According to a Washington source, Obama told West Bank constable Mahmoud Abbas: “The Israelis would be crazy not to accept this initiative. It would give them peace with the Muslim world from Indonesia to Morocco.”

Dan Kurtzer, a former Ambassador to Israel, submitted a paper to Obama on the question before this month’s presidential elections arguing that trying to reach bilateral peace agreements between Israel and individual countries in the Middle East was a recipe for failure as the record of Bill Clinton and George W Bush showed. In contrast, the broader Arab plan “had a lot of appeal”. A leading Democratic expert on the Middle East said: “There’s not a lot of meat on the bones yet, but it offers recognition of Israel across the Arab world.”

[Yaakov K.]

What is the Times' source for their allegation?

[Robert Bernier]

Concern for the “Palestinians”?
Few academics have a genuine interest in the “Palestinians”. Rather, they devote outsized attention to this otherwise small and obscure population because it represents a convenient and potent tool with which to malign Israel. Those intent on showing Israel in a bad light must champion the “Palestinians” with allegations of mass executions, torture, denial of hospital services—but this should not be confused with genuine concern for the “Palestinians”. Nor does it lead to an understanding of Palestinian life. As to facts about “Palestinians” : http://israelagainstterror.blogspot.com/2008/11/international-community-misrepresents.html

[Robert Bernier]

Saudi Arabia remains, beyond the interests of the moment, aggressively and murderously hostile to Israel.
While Saudi Arabia no doubt does see Iran as a greater threat than Israel, this has not changed Saudi promotion of an extreme Wahhabi brand of Islam - with its vehement anti-Jewish and anti-Christian message - in mosques and schools throughout Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. It has not changed Saudi support for terrorist groups targeting Israel. It has not changed Saudi dedication to the goal of Israel’s dissolution. In fact, since the Khomeini revolution in Iran in 1979 and the subsequent Iranian Hajj attacks in Mecca, the Saudi response to the Iranian challenge has not been moderation of its policies and its attitudes towards Israel and the West but rather a more aggressive promotion of Wahhabi extremism worldwide to compete with the Shiit extremism being exported by the Iranian mullahs. Yet Israeli leaders look at Saudi words and deeds and somehow detect a moderate and friendly message in them, and construe a limited and transient convergence of interests as reason to make permanent concessions to a party that remains, beyond the interests of the moment, aggressively and murderously hostile. About the doctrine of terrorism and hate to the entire non Muslim world :
http://israelagainstterror.blogspot.com/2007/12/saudi-arabias-jihad-in-middle-east-and_2060.html

[Mary Smith]

Sharbano
Are you a reader/commenter here, or are you an official representarive o Israel Insider?

Not much of an answer to my specifics. Further, I see no rules that I violated, unless, of course, you consider merely citing--not urging upon any here--the beliefs and teachings of other religions as "proselytizing."

I repeat: MABUS and OBAMA are the same name. Demonstration available upon request. What is your source of information about Nostradamus' "errancy?"

[Celeste]

Obama told everybody exactly what they wanted to hear (with a few exceptions) in order to get elected. He tricked 52% of the American people. I am not in that number and am infuriated and ashamed that he would so easily break his promise to keep Jerusalem undivided. If 80% of Jewish Americans would not have voted for him, he probably would not have gotten elected. I hope they will change their minds in 4 years.

[HECTOR ORTA]

Is an error to cede land for peace.the lord give this land to israel.

[Jef Wallace]

first of all, i believe the saudi empire is a brutal dystopia. that these playboy fanatics have a voice in world affairs at all is pathetic.

second, joel steinberger right on. israel is a precious creative dynamo that needs to be kept online at all costs.

third, the obsession with territory is driving me nuts. i think the saudi grab plan is awful on the face of it; sounds like the annexation of the Sudetenland to me ! "we'll give you peace, just give us some land..." come on !

fourth, let's look into negotiation theory because any time an offer is on the table there is a negotiation opportunity. how about openness into saudi prisons and society ? i doubt that would be forthcoming.

saudi arabia is the north korea of islam as far as i'm concerned. frankly iranian society is so much further advanced that there may be some opportunity to play the two off against one another. why are those jerks even looking at israel ? i feel like some scumbag is checking out my wife at the mall. KISS OFF SAUDI ARABIA.

[Cynthia]

What good is this dead horse plan if the Palestinians are doing everthing in their power to avoid peace. Let's hear from those of you who support "the poor Palestinians" in regard to what they're doing to work toward peace. Provide examples of how the Palestinians are demonstrating their intention to co-exist with Israel? What steps are they even taking to improve their economy, their infrastructure or create viable labor markets? They obviously have no shortage of funds for weaponry.

[Sharbano]

Aw come on, It's not like a TROjan horse, .. more like a dead horse, ... a horse that won't ride.

[Cynthia]

The "shoddy plan" wasn't good in 2002 and it's not good in 2008. Recognition of Israel by the Arab world is useless as long as Hamas, Hizbullah and Iran continue to foment hate and terror against Israel. The Saudi plan does not address or assure security for Israel. It's a Trojan Horse intended to compromise Israel. This plan needs to be permanently shelved.