Daniel SabaI believe the U.S. should assist in mediating negotiations toward a resolution in the Israel-Palestinian conflict for the following reasons:
1) United States interests in Middle Eastern affairs continues to be a priority when weighed against all of our other foreign policy interests. While our military role in the region is no longer what it used to be, the role of this region in the global economy and as it relates to international stability still suggests that we have interests in trying to resolve the region’s conflicts.
2) The United States is uniquely suited to play a positive role in facilitating positive outcomes in global conflicts. This has been true in the Balkans, in Ireland, and even the Middle East (The Camp David Accords). The likelihood that this conflict will be resolved without U.S. involvement is low- and the resolution presided over by other foreign powers will likely work against our interests while being ill suited to at least one of the parties to the conflict.
3) The global attention paid to this conflict suggests that a U.S. role in its resolution would be beneficial to our international standing.
4) It is ultimately the right thing to. Foreign policy ought not reflect naive approaches that minimize every issue to simple moral calculus- but this does not make the moral calculus irrelevant. For Israel to achieve peace and security, and for the Palestinians to achieve a higher degree of national self-determination would both befit our interests and our values.
