Ted Belman
The author is a retired attorney and the editor of Israpundit. In 2009 he made aliya and is now living in Jerusalem.
If I had been the President of the US for the last four years:
1. I would have forced the PA to negotiate a deal with Israel, i.e., to make the necessary concessions. I would clearly support the settlements and take the position that Israel should include most settlements so that less that 5% of the settlers would have to be moved. This could be done by reducing the PA’s economic and diplomatic support.
I would have moved the US Embassy to Jerusalem to indicate my belief that at least the west part of Jerusalem would remain in Israel in any settlement.
2. I would have insisted on UNRWA being unwound. This could be done by economic pressure. I would have insisted that all Palestinians be given citizenship in their host countries or would have arranged for their re-settlement elsewhere but not in Judea and Samaria.
3. I would have left Gadaffi in power. He was no longer a threat to the west and had been rehabilitated.
4. I would have supported Mubarak because he was a trusted ally and a stabilizing force for 30 years.
5. I would have been more committed to the removal of Assad but not on behalf of Turkey and the MB but on behalf of the various minorities who wanted a federated Syria to replace Assad’s Syria rather than a MB dominated Syria. I would have seen this as a weakening of Iran and of Hizbullah. I would have negotiated with Russia to see if the conflict could be resolved through an agreement between the US and Russia like splitting Syria into two spheres of influence if not two countries. Part of this deal would be the denial of any influence by Iran.
6. I would have condemned Turkey’s role in the Mavi Marmara and stood with Israel. If anyone was entitled to an apology, it was Israel.
7. I would have sought energy independence to give the US more independence from Saudi Arabia. That would have enable me to force Saudi Arabia to desist in spreading Wahabism.
8. I would have left a significant US military presence, up to 50,000, in Iraq, and preferably in Kurdistan. I would have moved the US troops from Germany to control costs. There is no need for them to be there anymore.
9. I would have retreated from Afghanistan as quickly as safety would permit. There is no victory for the US in Afghanistan, only death.
10. I would have taken on the Human Rights Council at the UN. The only members who would be eligible to sit on it would be members who support human rights in their own countries. Until that happened, I would have withheld financial support from the UN.