The crazy person formerly known as Rep. Allen West is vanquished.
In voting Allen West out, voters in Florida’s 18th district showed that they possess much more sense than the former representative ever displayed in his tenure.
The infamous West appears to believe the things he says on a regular basis. Examples include calling a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict “a foreign policy blunder of epic proportions.” In West’s words, “This is a region, it is not anything tied to a certain group of people; it would be just the same as saying we should have an Appalachian state, separate from North Carolina.”
This hostility to two states puts West out of step even with his own party, whose platform includes language supporting two states. As was Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.), who said that anyone who “continues to cling to the delusion of a two-state solution is insane.” Both of these men were integral members of what J Street, an organization committed to American leadership to advance a two-state solution, calls the “One State Caucus,” or those members who support an annexation of the West Bank.
What gets lost in the euphoria and/or gloom immediately following an election are the potential policy implications of such results. With that, I want to look at what a Jewish progressive like myself wants out of President Obama in his second term in regards to what America should (and can) do to bring about secure borders for Israel and self-determination for the Palestinian people.
But first, I have to mention that I’m affiliated with J Street U, a partner of the organization I described above. J Street U is a national student movement operating on over 60 campuses in support of a two-state solution. I hope, along with others, to bring the organization to Duke so that we can have more productive dialogues and informative events about what it means to be students who want Israel to be a Jewish, democratic state at the same time as wanting American leadership to help the Palestinians realize political and human rights in a state of their own. J Street believes that American leadership is essential, so that’s why they supported candidates in this election who also share these values.
As I write this column (there are a few races that remain too close to call) 69 J Street-endorsed candidates have won. That means that senators like Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) will return to the Senate, while non-incumbents like Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) will also be there to be both supporters of Israel and voices of reason. Tuesday was a huge night for an organization that was founded in 2008.
The politics surrounding Israel in America are broken. See Gov. Romney’s remarks at a private fundraiser, in which he said that peace was “unthinkable to accomplish” and that in the process, “you recognize that this is going to remain an unsolved problem … and we kick the ball down the field.”
Those comments weren’t indicative of a commitment to resolve this problem. I worry that President Obama will be averse to doing so if we don’t communicate why we want two states.
The transition to a second term offers a unique opportunity. We didn’t hear much from President Obama about what his biggest priorities will be during his second term. Leading on two states would be one area (that previous presidents like George W. Bush and Bill Clinton also addressed in their second terms) that would be more than worthwhile.
In the foreign policy debate between the two candidates on Oct. 22, “Israel” was mentioned 34 times—more than any other country but Iran. President Obama displayed a true commitment to Israel when he approved the $205 million for the Iron Dome system to shield against rockets from Gaza under the United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2102. But real friendship should also mean recognizing that fixed borders are another critical component to Israel’s long-term security. And those borders won’t happen if we don’t have a president who shows the political will and sustained leadership to bring about their implementation.
It’s easy to do victory laps. But I would encourage those who were ecstatic about the outcome Tuesday night not to just celebrate the defeat of the other guy, but to think about what you want President Obama’s administration to accomplish. The situation for both Israelis and Palestinians will continue to deteriorate if we do not raise our voices and say that we think American leadership on this matter should be a priority.
To be sure, skeptics will point to threats from Iran, Syria and Egypt, and non-state actors like Hamas and Hezbollah. But these threats only underscore the “why now” question—better to negotiate from a position of power, with America behind you.
Exit polls show that 69 percent of Jews voted for President Obama. But this isn’t an issue that is exclusively of concern to the Jewish people or the Palestinian people. If you care about human rights, stability in the Middle East or America’s security interests in general, then you, like me, will see two states as the only way to achieve peace.
Samantha Lachman is a Trinity senior. Her column runs every other Thursday. You can follow her on Twitter @SamLachman.
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