A letter sponsored by Israel lobby group AIPAC, and signed by 88 US senators, is demanding that President Obama unconditionally veto any “one-sided” resolution on the Israeli peace process brought before the UN Security Council during the last four months of his term in office.
The letter was penned by the lobby at the behest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose office is concerned that years of acrimony between him and Obama might lead Obama to not veto a French resolution on the peace process if it comes between the November election and the day he leaves office.
In comments today at the UN General Assembly, President Obama warned that Israel can’t simply occupy Palestine forever, which despite being in line with long-standing US calls for a two-state solution, is seen as unusual criticism of an occupation that much of Israel’s far-right government is viewing as permanent at this point.
Israel has long relied on US vetoes to avoid criticism at the Security Council for its many misdeeds in the occupied territories, and despite the suggestion that Obama is uncooperative, he’s vetoed everything, just like other presidents have. If he is inclined to do a rare non-veto, it’s not clear the Senate warning him not to is going to play much of a role.