The Iraq Study Group, Part 1

Created by Congress in March, 2006, the Iraq Study Group issued its report on December 6, 2006. The report states, "The United States will not be able to achieve its goals in the Middle East unless the United States deals directly with the Arab-Israeli conflict. There must be a renewed and sustained commitment by the United States to a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace on all fronts: Lebanon, Syria, and President Bush's 2002 commitment to a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine." (p.54) Jim Lehrer, speaking on the PBS "News Hour with Jim Lehrer," December 6, 2006, addressed the Iraq Study Group Co-Chairman James Baker: "Mr. Secretary, why is the Arab-Israeli dispute involved at all in resolving things in Iraq? You say that should be on the table here and that should also be resolved simultaneously." Secretary Baker replied, "Jim, every single person, almost without exception, that we talked to, counseled us about the importance of solving, or at least trying to solve, the Arab-Israeli dispute.....it is a touchstone for many of the countries of the region. One of the reasons, I think, that the U.S. is having the problems we have overall in the Middle East is because we have not been seen to be trying to manage the Arab-Israeli dispute effectively, and we are, frankly, the only country that can serve as an effective mediator of that dispute.." Co-Chairman Lee Hamilton added, "One of the keys to making progress here is to appeal to the so-called moderate Arabs. If we can't appeal to those folks then we're going to lose the battle, we're going to lose the war on terrorism, and all the rest." Clearly, U.S. foreign policy which supports Israel's occupation of Palestine has long been the root cause of anti-American hatred in the Muslim world. Although Americans would like U.S. forces to leave Iraq, one fear is that Iraq would turn into a haven for anti-American terrorists. This would surely be the case if the outrageous Israeli occupation, with our financial and political support, continues as a festering wound in the Middle East, turning moderate Muslims into terrorists.