Obama Offers Lukewarm Endorsement of Linkage
Earlier today, President Barack Obama told a group of Jewish leaders that resolving tensions between Israel and its Arab neighbors would increase Iran’s isolation.
The comments, which were written up by Foreign Policy’s Josh Rogin, would suggest that neoconservatives who have been pushing a “reverse linkage” narrative—in which they say that destroying Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons program will bring peace between Israel and its neighbors—have made very little headway in convincing the White House that “the road to peace runs through Tehran.”
Josh Rogin writes:
While the peace talks and the Iran threat are not necessarily linked, Obama told the rabbis that resolving Israel’s disputes with its neighboring Arab states would increase Iran’s isolation.
Obama also delivered a message of urgency regarding the peace talks. ”If that window closes, it’s going to be hard to reopen for years to come,” he said. “We’re not going to get that many more opportunities.”
While recent days have seen a growing number of voices repeating the pre-Iraq war argument that “the road to peace leads through [Muslim capital],” Obama’s comments today would seem to suggest that the president is endorsing a road to peace that runs through Jerusalem.
En Español
The Latest
From IPS News
- AI Policy Can’t Ignore Climate Change: We Need Net Zero AI Emissions
- Conditions Worsen for Belarus Migrants Stuck in ‘Death Zone’ on EU Border
- Another Climate Victory in Europe… and Counting
- By Sending Nuclear Weapons to UK, Could US be Fueling Nuclear Proliferation?
- Small Island States Fostering Effective Energy Transition To Achieve a Blue Economy
- Attacks on UNRWA Not About Its Neutrality, Says UNRWA Chief
- US Foreign Policy in Middle East Still Governed by Israeli Priorities
- Rich Nation Hypocrisy Accelerating Global Heating
- Seeking Justice for the Civilian Victims of the Syrian Civil War
- Who Should be the Next UN Leader?PART 7 FINAL
- Online fundraising for IPS Inter Press Service at Razoo