Bibi Takes His Case Against a Palestinian State To the Internet

It could have been worse for Israel Tuesday—much worse—with Barack Obama's last speech at the United Nations General Assembly. "Israel," he said, "recognizes that it cannot permanently occupy and settle Palestinian land." It was a relatively anodyne phrase, given that there has been some concern here that the president might use the occasion to try to push for initiatives to reshape the Palestinian-Israeli issue. It's long been one of Obama's chief concerns, predating his tenure in the White House, and if it's been on the back burner the last several years, with less than four months left on the wheel, it's legacy time now. No matter that Obama's tinkering may further destabilize a typically volatile region that is much more dangerous now than it was when he first came to the White House seven years ago.

Given the fractious relations between the White House and the government of prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu—as documented in part, for instance, by Israel's former ambassador to the United States Michael Oren in his 2015 book Ally—it's reasonable for Jerusalem to expect contention with the White House until Obama's very last day. Some Israeli officials refer to period lasting from the presidential election until inauguration day as the "kill zone," a time frame during which an unleashed Obama will still wield most of the power of the presidency with very few of its responsibilities. Accordingly, a source familiar with the workings of the prime minister's office explained that Jerusalem has been exploring different ways to shape the context in anticipation of one last public fight with the Obama White House.

The feeling is that Obama's tempered formulation at the U.N. was likely due to the fact Donald Trump has drawn closer to Hillary Clinton in the polls and the White House is keen to preserve Obama's legacy. A speech recognizing a Palestinian state, calling for a Security Council resolution, or drawing new parameters for resolving the conflict might damage Clinton's support—which is to say that Obama's nearly inevitable Hail Mary will likely come after the November elections.

Others here in Israel's capital suggest that Netanyahu's media offensive may have played a role in deterring Obama, for the present anyway. Last week the prime minister's office posted a two-minute-long video on YouTube in which Netanyahu explained how "the Palestinian leadership... demands a Palestinian state with one precondition: no Jews." Netanyahu continued: "There's a phrase for that," he said. "It's called 'ethnic cleansing.' And this demand is outrageous. It's even more outrageous that the world doesn't find this outrageous," he said. "Some otherwise enlightened countries even promote this outrage."

The State Department was outraged, calling the "terminology" "inappropriate and unhelpful," which is to say the video had this otherwise enlightened White House playing defense. Obama allies in the U.S. press and Netanyahu adversaries in the Israeli media also pounced on the prime minister.