This might seem odd to be included in my blog on teaching in Korea, but I just was thinking about this subject. These thoughts aren't meant as a full fledged argument as that could take days and would be much, much, more complex.

While these pleas are good and all, how about going beyond a plea and cutting some aid to show that the U.S. is serious about this issue. In the 2003 agreements Israel said they would stop settlement building. Yet seemingly nothing has changed on this front in the years following. How about we cut back a little of our budget and put some pressure on them at the same time. The settlements are one of the main obstacles in any type of peace process, yet for the most part they are still expanding. Even when Israel does make settlers move, there are Israelis who refuse to leave. What is the United States prepared to do about this part of the Middle East peace process? Clearly Israel holds the power in this situation, so they need to make the first move.

UPDATE as of Sept. 7