May 7, 2009

The Obama administration reportedly plans to step-up pressure on Israel to make new concessions to the Palestinians as a means of hastening the so-called “peace process.”

Here we go again. Every modern U.S. administration has acted as if Israel is the impediment to peace. It isn’t Israel that issues religious statements claiming God wants them to destroy their enemies. Israel doesn’t have a charter like the Palestinians and Hezbollah that mandates the eradication of a state and a people.

This week a Hezbollah mullah claimed that even Muslim fetuses favor jihad. That’s the kind of madness Israel must deal with and yet this administration is going to increase pressure on Israel?

How about pressuring the Palestinians to live up to their promises? Living up to one of them would be a step forward, but they’ve lived up to none. The Obama administration thinks Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is taking a hard line, but he’s actually trying to protect the safety and preserve the territorial integrity of his country.

Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist based in Washington, D.C.