Obama to prod peace talks in Mideast President Obama arrives here today on a high-profile trip to Israel to assure the Jewish state of U.S. commitment to stopping a nuclear Iran and boost the prospect of peace talks with Palestinians demanding their own state.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has set up a major welcome for Obama, who will
visit Israeli military defensive installations, speak to Israeli students and
meet Palestinian leaders in the disputed West Bank territory.
The White House said it does not expect significant deals to come out of the
trip, in which Obama will also visit Jordan. Former U.S. ambassador to Israel
Edward Djerejian says the trip is a chance to improve U.S. relations with
Israelis and Palestinians and to clarify where the United States stands on the
tumultuous events of the Middle East.
Obama last visited the region in 2009, traveling to Saudi Arabia and Egypt. He
visited the Jewish state in 2008 as a presidential candidate.
"I'm a believer in the importance of the personal relationship and dialogue
between leaders," said Djerejian, ambassador under President Clinton. "It's
important they establish a working relationship ... that can be translated into
possible action."
Since Obama visited, the region has become more dangerous. A rebellion against
Syrian President Bashar Assad rages in Syria. Iran is refusing to end its
nuclear program despite U.N. sanctions. Islamist governments have gained power
in Egypt and Tunisia, and Muslim militias backed by al-Qaeda are on the rise in
North Africa and the Persian Gulf states.
Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians have stalled. Israel says the
Palestinian Authority refuses to negotiate over the portions of the West Bank
that should go to a Palestinian state and those that should be part of Israel.
Palestinians argue that Israel will not compromise to their satisfaction, so why
negotiate?
Silvan Shalom, a Cabinet minister in Netanyahu's Likud Party, said a provisional
agreement is possible. "Our goal is to reach an agreement (even) if it is in
stages," he said.
Obama arrives at a time when a recent media poll in Israel found just 10% of
Israelis view him favorably -- in light of his public bouts with Netanyahu, who
asked Obama to set a "red line" on when military forces must be used against
Iran. "Obama is retreating from the Middle East, indifferent to the collapse of
Egypt, uninterested in the return of al-Qaeda to Iraq, and he appears to have no
blueprint for Iran other than more concessions," says Danielle Pletka of the
American Enterprise Institute. "So why's he going?"
