On Not Taking Sides

Ezra Klein cites David Miller:

In these conversations, I always end up back at Aaron David Miller's insight: It is very hard to reconcile the interests of a threatened nation and an occupied one. But it is impossible if you only understand the interests of the threatened and refuse to admit the grievances of the occupied. As Levy concludes, "American politicians need to find a language that at the same time is both staunchly supportive of Israel and its security but also able to convincingly empathize with the Palestinians and their predicament." Without that, you can't broker peace. All you can do is take sides.

Yes, but Jeffrey Goldberg's words from a few months ago also ring true:

...comprehensive peace will come about when the Arab side understands clearly that America has red lines of its own. The Palestinians suffer sometimes from the irrational hope that America's support for Israel is mutable, and that the key to success is to bring about direct American pressure on Israel. This won't happen for any number of reasons, and...American pressure will only encourage Israeli politicians to descend into the bunker.