Obama wrong to let U.N. take jab at Israel

It’s like a tag-team grudge match with Obama-Kerry vs. Netanyahu-Trump. When that’s the tone allies set, what is the chance this interaction will promote peace?

President Barack Obama declined to use America’s veto to block a U.N. Security Council resolution that condemns Israel’s settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blasted the move and accused the U.S. of masterminding the resolution, which passed 14-0 after the U.S. abstained.

Secretary of State John Kerry, in return, said Netanyahu’s policies were destroying any chance for the two-state solution that is the accepted formula for peace between Israel and the Palestinians. President-elect Donald Trump joined the fray on Netanyahu’s side.

Why did Obama let the resolution pass? It’s not going to improve the situation on the ground and it’s not going to open avenues for productive peace negotiations. Obama’s obvious motive was to stick one finger in Netanyahu’s eye and another in Trump’s eye.

As we said in an editorial just a few days ago, we do not agree with expansionist settlement policies. Netanyahu has hurt peace prospects by kowtowing to pro-settlements factions within Israel. We specifically opposed Trump’s choice as U.S. ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, because Friedman, in addition to other extreme positions, has said Israel should annex the West Bank.

Although we think Netanyahu and Trump are on the wrong course to bring peace, nothing in Obama’s sudden shift from traditional U.S. policy is going to make prospects better. Obama has had eight years to broker peace in the Middle East. He didn’t succeed.

Netanyahu and the Palestinians share blame for that failure. There has been obvious hostility between Netanyahu and Obama. Netanyahu has not always shown sufficient respect for Obama, the presidency and the important place the United States holds as Israel’s strongest supporter. It’s hard to say Obama has betrayed Israel when, just three months ago, his administration pledged $38 billion in military aid to Israel over the next decade.

So we understand Obama’s frustration and anger toward Netanyahu. Trump’s attitude has not helped, either. It would have been appropriate for Trump to privately ask Obama to maintain the status quo — that is, to veto the resolution.

But since Trump is not yet president, it was presumptuous of him to publicly warn the administration, via Twitter no less, not to let the resolution clear the council.

In spite of anything Netanyahu and Trump have said or done, it was wrong for Obama suddenly to shift decades of U.S. policy. The resolution does not include penalties or enforcement mechanisms, and the administration has signaled it will veto any further resolutions that do. But it still unnecessarily roils diplomatic waters, is embarrassing to Israel and emboldens those who want to bring its leaders before the International Criminal Court or justify boycotts.

We recognize that Trump is more than capable — for example with his choice of ambassador to Israel — of upending international relations on his own. But that is all the more reason for Obama to make the hand-off as steady and uneventful as possible.

Obama would not, except in an emergency, suddenly send thousands of additional U.S. troops into an international hot spot. Doing so would dump a crisis into President Trump’s lap. The Obama administration’s failure to veto the U.N. resolution likewise creates an unnecessary crisis.

It also could backfire. U.N. resolutions rarely hold Israel and the Palestinians to equal standards. This one also is tougher on Israel than the Palestinians. Thus, it gives cover to Netanyahu’s defensiveness and allows the prime minister to blame Obama for setting back negotiations. It also provides an excuse should Trump decide to distance America from the U.N. in other spheres.

By taking this action, Obama has not improved prospects for peace. Instead, Obama only has only fostered the perception that, when it comes to the Middle East, he let personal grudges outweigh the quest for peace.

In spite of anything Netanyahu and Trump have said or done, it was wrong for Obama suddenly to shift decades of U.S. policy.