As President Joe Biden mulls who to appoint as US envoy to Iran, it seems that one of the likeliest candidates is Robert Malley, the former Middle East director for President Barack Obama's National Security Council.
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Whoever is appointed as envoy will be in charge of the negations with Iran about the nuclear deal. If there have been any worrying developments since Biden was sworn in as president, then the possibility of Malley becoming the US envoy to Iran trumps them all.
Malley is a well-known figure in Israel. He is the president of the left-wing International Crisis Group and used to be the Palestine and Middle East advisors to both President Bill Clinton and President Obama.
In 2000, following the Camp David talks in which he participated, he was the one who blamed Prime Minister Ehud Barak for the failure to negotiate and acquitted PLO leader Yasser Arafat.
Malley's perceptions were formed among the international Left, including in Israel. Over the years after Arafat's death, he developed close ties with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
The Iranian nuclear deal is not exactly his area of expertise. A storm erupted in the past week in diplomatic establishments and among senior commentators over Malley. The diplomatic establishment defended him, while opponents argue that Malley's appointment will undermine the credibility of Secretary of State Antony Blinken and weaken the United States' position.
Last December, Malley created a union between the International Crisis Group and the Middle East Project headed by political scientist Daniel Levy, who is known to have worked with Ehud Barak and politician Yossi Beilin. According to the opinions that Levi and Malley expressed on the Palestinian issue, they are quite close to that of leftist NGO B'Tselem.
The document that the Crisis Group presented last December reveals Malley's approach from which we can conclude his Iranian diplomacy – if it exists. In his opinion, the new administration should first and foremost erase all President Trump's initiatives implemented in the region during his years in the White House.
He considers it a goal to address the cornerstones of the administration's Palestinian policy to create an Israeli public that understands the consequences of constant occupation. His intention is most likely to make it clear to the Israeli public that the United States paid a price for its hold on Judea and Samaria.
On the other hand, he is calling on the Palestinian people and leadership to challenge the status quo through non-violent means and in accordance with international law. The main thing is a reversal of those trends on the ground, in the political and legal spheres, that, as he put it, tore the diplomatic landscape to pieces and cannot guarantee the Palestinians the most basic human rights.
He sees the problem in Israel, and the solution involves addressing this "problem," including stopping the "annexation" and protecting the Palestinians, including in East Jerusalem and Gaza. Gaza is suffering from a humanitarian emergency as a result of the "siege." The whole subject of the missile threat to the civilian home front he chose not to address at all.
Malley proposes the US refrain from using its veto power at the UN, that is, to apply pressure on Israel by not using its veto. This was the final chord of the Obama administration in December 2016. He advocates working together with the European Union and other international forums. He also suggests overseeing Israel's use of US security assistance and equipment.
In terms of Iran, all this means that Robert Malley is a diplomat whose intention to protect the security of Israel is lip service at best. The values of equality between Israel and its enemies and the participation of the European Union are what guide him. He opposed the principles presented by former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as conditions for the removal of Iran sanctions.
Anyone who is looking to eliminate Trump's legacy in the Middle East, like the well-thought-out idea of Robert Malley, will bring this baggage with him to the Iranian sphere as well. Malley is the classic example of a man with a very pro-Palestinian ideological approach, and for the Democrats, this approach also reflects pro-Iranianism, which covers it in the institutional language of an international diplomatic elite.
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