Dean: US Should Not Take Sides

Tue, Sep 9, 2003 at 9:53:05 am PDT

As another Arab slaughters innocent Jews at a bus stop in Israel, Democratic Presidential candidate Howard Dean is being severely criticized for telling supporters in New Mexico “it’s not our place to take sides” in the Arab-Israeli conflict: Rivals Criticize Dean For Mideast Comment.

In an interview, Dean sought to clarify his statement but did not back down from his belief that the United State cannot negotiate peace unless it is seen as a neutral party in the region. "Israel has always been a longtime ally with a special relationship with the United States, but if we are going to bargain by being in the middle of the negotiations then we are going to have to take an evenhanded role," he said.

For more than 50 years, the United States has backed Israel as its closest ally in the region, providing the Jewish state with billions of dollars in military and humanitarian aid. Dean does not advocate breaking the U.S.-Israeli alliance, but believes the only way to bring peace to the Middle East is for the president to broker a deal without playing favorites. A top Dean adviser said the former Vermont governor is doing nothing different from what President Bill Clinton did when he reached out to Yasser Arafat and the Palestinians as a path to peace.

And we all know how well that worked, don’t we?