You know those lists of demands that the White House will be taking from Arab states? The ones they’re promising they’ll “convince” Israel to implement? At the top of those is going to be the Saudi Initiative, which creates peace in the Middle East by having the Jewish State commit national suicide. This has obviously been kind of a problem for Israeli Jews, so the Obama administration was trying to get those parts toned down.
Guess how that’s going:
Syria’s foreign minister says there’s no justification for amending an Arab peace offer to Israel. Arab diplomats have said the US has asked Arab nations to amend the 2002 land-for-peace proposal to make it more palatable to Israel. Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem also told reporters Thursday before meeting two US envoys that Damascus is still testing American intentions toward his country… The foreign minister’s statements came a day after al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper quoted Palestinian sources as saying that the leaders of Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the Palestinian Authority have been working on a “clearer” initiative at the request of US President Barack Obama. The Arabs are working vigorously so that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will be able to present the revised proposal to Obama during their upcoming meeting in Washington.
They got the same response from the Palestinians.
I do like how the Syrians feel secure enough to boast about “testing American intentions,” as if they’re magnanimously evaluating Obama’s supplications for approval. Which I guess they kind of are. But that’s not the point.
Obama’s already politely ignored the IAEA’s report that Syria were building nukes. He’s had Kerry unblinkingly contradict Syrian officials about whether Syria can be peeled away from Iran. And he’s reportedly ready to overlook their crimes against Lebanon. What more do they want?
Answer: probably whatever they were promised by the envoys that Obama dispatched before and after the election. Whatever it was, it caused Syria to rethink their willingness to compromise after a year of asking for peace talks.
References and previously after the jump…
References:
* Great News: White House Promises To Stop Just Short Of “Pushing Israel Under The Bus” [MR]
* Saudi Arabia: Hey, Remember Our “Peace Plan” Where Israel Gets Overrun And Destroyed? How About It? [MR]
* Syria: No need to amend Arab peace initiative [YNet]
* Arabs to Obama: ‘We like the Saudi plan just fine as it is’ [Israel Matzav]
* Obama: Yup, I’m Going To Immediately Reach Out To Iran And Syria [MR]
* Obama’s Rush To Engage Syria Uninhibited By IAEA Confirmation Of Syrian Nuke Program [MR]
* Kerry: “Syria Leaning Towards The West.” Syria: “No We’re Not.” [MR]
* TIME: Obama To Shield Syrian Officials From Hariri Tribunal [MR]
* Confirmed: Obama Surrogates Were Negotiating With Iran And Syria During Election (Plus: Results Thus Far A Little Short Of Spectacular) (UPDATE: Just How Many Delegations Did Obama Send To Assad?) [MR]
* Syria Responding To Waves Of Congressional Democrats With Shiny New Chemical Weapons Factory [MR]
* Syria: On Second Thought, We’re Gonna Wait A Few More Months Before Talking About A Peace Deal (UPDATED AND BUMPED: Assad Convinced By Malley Not Brzezinski?) [MR]
Previously:
* Syria Pretty Psyched About Their Obama-Era Negotiating Position
* Carter Advises Assad: Sit Tight, Wait For Obama [MR]
* Saudi Arabia: We’re Getting Impatient With Israel’s Refusal To Commit Suicide
