Obama’s new vision for ending Israel-Palestinian conflict

US President Barack Obama

In his strong desire to finally end the Israel-Palestinian conflict and bring peace to the Middle East, President Barack Obama, in a major speech, said that the only way to create a “viable Palestine and a secure Israel” is for the warring countries to co-exist based on borders that were present before the 1967 Middle East war, but with modifications due to Israeli expansion on the ground now.

It must be remembered that during the war, Israel seized the West Bank, Gaza Strip, the strategic Golan Heights and Sinai Peninsula, to ensure the defensibility of the state of Israel.

“The United States believes that negotiations should result in two states, with permanent Palestinian borders with Israel, Jordan, and Egypt, and permanent Israeli borders with Palestine,” Obama said in a 45-minute address laying out his vision of a new Middle East and North Africa.

While this vision sets well with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian  people, who always make reference of the West Bank and Gaza Strip as “occupied Palestinian territories,” it has, however, disconcerted  Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who reacted, saying, that there would be no withdrawal to the “indefensible” 1967 borders.

“A Palestinian state should not be established at the expense of Israel’s existence,” Netanyahu declared.

In Netanyahu’s mind is perhaps the estimated 300,000 Israelis living in settlements built in the West Bank, which lies outside those borders before 1967.

With so many settlements built throughout these years, is their any hope for peace now in the Middle East or has Obama’s vision for pacifism and accord just makes it all the more harder for the contending parties to embrace each other?

Is Obama’s objective realistic? Is it doable?

Could there be harmony without trust between peoples who have been bitter enemies since time immemorial?

Are they ready to bury the hatchet – for good?

Can Israel forever live in peace? Will there ever be a Palestinian state?

Or is all these a mere wishful thinking?

Israel to build fence along Egypt border

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered to construct a fence at a cost of 1 billion shekels (163 million pounds) along two segments of Israel’s border with Egypt, in an attempt to stem the infiltration of migrant workers as well as of terrorist elements into Israel.

The bold project is estimated to be completed in two years, where the first segment will be near the southern city of Eilat and the second segment near Israel’s border with Gaza strip.

“I took the decision to close Israel’s southern border to infiltrators and terrorists. This is a strategic decision to secure Israel’s Jewish and democratic character,” Netanyahu said in a statement.

Netanyahu said Israel would “remain open to refugees” from conflict zones but added, “we cannot let tens of thousands of illegal workers infiltrate into Israel through the southern border and inundate our country with illegal aliens.”

The barrier will not be erected along the whole border, but advanced surveillance equipment will be installed to help border control officers spot the infiltrators.