Ken Stein, “The U.S. Role in Palestinian Self-Determination”

August 31, 2011

Kenneth Stein, “The U.S. Role in Palestinian Self-Determination,” inFocus Quarterly, Fall 2011, https://www.jewishpolicycenter.org/2011/08/31/united-states-palestinian-self-determination

Many in the Arab world and amongst Palestinian leaders believe that, for the sake of evenhandedness and justice, the U.S. government, a longtime supporter of Israel’s security and existence, should have openly endorsed and urged others to vote for the proposition of Palestinian state recognition at the United Nations. Criticism of the U.S. failing to do so has been harsh, but it is also without perspective or historical context. What is forgotten is the persistent, even aggressive, perhaps unprecedented role that Washington has played in pushing for Palestinian rights, self-determination and, most recently, for Palestinian statehood.