Yitz Yellin

The recent hoopla surrounding the Pope's visit to the Middle East has obscured another important story that hasn't quite received the attention it deserves:  the appointment of Michael Oren as Israel's next ambassador to the United States. A brilliant and respected author and historian, Oren is not a career politician. Rather, he's an expert in Middle East politics, and especially in Israeli foreign policy. The contrast between these two incidents could not be more acute. The Pope thinks that peace between Muslims, Jews and Christians is just a few prayers and speeches away, a stance that is overly simplistic, and indicates a deep misunderstanding of the nature of the Middle East conflict that has raged for years. In contrast, Oren is a true scholar of Middle East history and has a solid understanding of the policies and events that have shaped the region.

While the election of Barack Obama is indicative of the US leaping to the left, the selection of Benjamin Netanyahu was a step to the right for Israel.  And that's where Oren fits in.  He is a strong supporter of Israel and its right to exist, yet he has some considerably liberal views on how to approach the conflict between Jews and Palestinians.  In that way, Oren is a centrist bridge between the hard-liners and liberals.

Now, it is well known that Oren, a former Israeli paratrooper, favors a unilateral withdrawal of Israelis from the settlements near Palestinian held territories.  He argues that maintaining those settlements only serves to provoke the Palestinians, and that Jews should wait for a newly elected government in Gaza that is more amenable to a real and lasting peace.  He also asserts that military action will never bring about peace in the region.  Netanyahu, however, adamantly opposes his view, and believes the settlements are an important outpost that shows the resolve of Israeli citizens not to be scared or bullied by Muslim extremists. 

Netanyahu also knows that what Mr. Oren misses, is that neither withdrawal, diplomacy nor military action are likely to stop the terrorist attacks and constant bombardment of Palestinian rockets into Israel. The Palestinians simply do not want peace. All they want, as they have stated repeatedly, is the destruction of the Jewish people and to wipe Israel off the map completely. Nothing less will satisfy them. Withdrawing from the settlements would only serve to send an unequivocal message to Muslims that their tactics are finally working and it would only bolster their determination to destroy Israel. When given a home, Palestinians have used it to create more war and problems, instead of setting up a productive society, infrastructure and a viable economy. When finally given democratic elections, the Palestinians elected a terrorist organization into power. To think that one day the Palestinians will come to their senses and elect representatives who favor peace over war is just not logical. They are very much like a virus, trying to destroy everything around it without regard even to its own existence. No reasonable person would knowingly allow a virus to enter their bodies, and so Israel must do all it can to be the antidote to Palestinian scourge. 

So what is Netanyahu's motivation in making such a controversial choice as ambassador?  I think there are several good reasons. First, by appointing Oren, Netanyahu is sending a message that he is exploring all options, that he's not just automatically populating his foreign ministry with his conservative allies.  Instead, he picked someone that he felt was the best man for the job. There is precedent for this: Obama has also appointed some of his Republican rivals and campaign opponents to key government positions. Additionally, Netanyahu is also hoping that an American will be more accepted by American politicians and media, and that such an eloquent speaker will be able to explain Israel's position to America, indeed the world, in a clear and amenable way. Although some of his ideas are clearly at odds with Netanyahu, I believe Oren's appointment is a smart move for Israel.  In fact, he may just become Israel's greatest diplomat since Abba Edan.