Wikileaks on Israel-Palestine

I agree with the idea of linkages of the occupation of Palestine to larger regional issues in the Middle East, mainly the idea that the occupation hinders the ability of the US to broker peace in the region because "Al-Qaeda and other militant groups exploit that anger to mobilize support" and it "gives Iran influence in the Arab world through its clients..." According to this FP piece, those that agree are right in making that assessment, despite the fact that "many Israel hawks have been quick to claim vindication" based what wikileaks has revealed about Israel-Palestine and how it affect relations in the wider region. But according to Matthew Duss, they are ignoring the evidence, namely these tidbits:

-"Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman (said), "The Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains the core issue; Suleiman contended a peaceful resolution would be a ‘big blow' to terrorist organizations that use the conflict as a pretext. For this reason, President Mubarak is committed to ending the Israeli-Arab ‘stalemate.'"

-"Dubai's ruler Mohamed bin Rashid Al Makhtoum, told U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns that a peace deal between the Israelis and Palestinians would be "the best thing" for the region, and would make radical groups like Hamas "everyone's enemy."

-"A cable from an April 2009 meeting at the U.S. Embassy in Amman reports, "While Jordanian officials doubt dialogue with the U.S. will convince Iran to withdraw its ‘tentacles,' they believe they can be severed if Iran is deprived of hot-button issues that make it a hero to many on the Arab street, such as its championing of the Palestinian cause."

-(Lebanese Prime Minister) "Siniora said that Lebanon was encouraged by and supportive of President Obama's commitment to achieving a comprehensive Middle East Peace." Siniora "said the U.S. administration's recognition of the centrality of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was an opportunity to push the Arab Peace Initiative forward and to finally achieve a resolution."

-"In a February 2010 meeting between Sen. John Kerry and the Emir of Qatar, "Senator Kerry asked the Emir how the U.S. goes about changing its reputation. The Emir said first and foremost the U.S. must do everything in its power to find a lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

While I do take issues with each of these leaders on a number of issues and I also doubt just how deep their concerns for Palestinians actually run, at the very least the leaked cable show that concerns are expressed over the occupation behind closed doors. Check out the full article by Duss here.