Former aide to President Barack Obama said the White House has made a "conscious decision" in attempting to keep his distance between the U.S. and Israel, apparently in order to help with negotiations with Arab leaders.
Speaking at an annual conference hosted by
The Jerusalem Post, Dennis Ross said the Obama administration's premise appears to be that "Israel is more of a problem than it is a partner" and "if you distance yourself from Israel, you'll gain with the Arabs."
Ross, a veteran diplomat, has been involved with peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians during the administrations of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton.
Previous presidents Eisenhower, Nixon, Carter, and H.W. Bush all tried that tactic, said Ross, but with few results and "every administration that has tried to distance itself from Israel has gained nothing."
The diplomat also said he does not believe in a two-state solution, one that calls for a separate state for Israelis and Palestinians, which would not result in peace elsewhere in the Middle East.
"If tomorrow you could solve the issue, it wouldn't stop one barrel bomb in Syria," Ross said.
According to
The Miami Herald, Ross' book
"Doomed to Succeed," is designed to teach the next president how to improve U.S.-Israel relations and one of the solutions is Israel must stand on its own without help from the U.S.
"The United States cannot be a substitute for what Israel must do for itself," Ross said, reports the Miami Herald.
Writing for
Politico, the veteran diplomat believes Middle Eastern leaders are more often turning to Russia's Vladimir Putin than Obama. Adding that the Russians are seen as more willing to use their power to effect change, while the Obama administration isn't.
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