Obama Must Make Peace in Israel a Priority
Emily Schwartz is a senior at The George Washington University and an intern at the Religious Action Center.
The message is clear: an Israeli-Palestinian peace initiative must be a priority for the Obama Administration from the first day in office.
The Union of Progressive Zionists has launched a new campaign urging President-Elect Barack Obama to follow up on his promise to "help Israel achieve the goal of two states, a Jewish state of Israel and a Palestinian state, living side by side in peace and security." College students have printed 10,000 "We Can't Wait" postcards to be collected and sent to Obama's transition team in December.
Barack Obama has a unique opportunity coming into his presidency. He can use his mystified aura of hope and change to form a comprehensive peace agreement. Since November 4th, the whole world has been watching Obama with awe. As noted by Gershom Gorenberg in The American Prospect, The daily Ha'aretz "covered its entire front page on Nov. 4 with a photo of Obama, one hand held high, facing what looked like a pillar of cloud in the distance, as if he were Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt. The headline, in English, was "Yes We Can." Within the first year of his presidency, Obama must engage in diplomacy to enact a peaceful two-state solution.