Thursday, July 30, 2009

Obama's effect on the Middle East


A Jerusalem protest against Obama's Israel policy

Tough on Israel: President Obama's Approach Self-Defeating? -Editorial

One of the more striking results of the Obama administration's first six months is that only one country has worse relations with the U.S. than it did in January: Israel. The new administration has pushed a reset button with Russia and sent new ambassadors to Syria and Venezuela; it has offered olive branches to Cuba and Burma.

But for nearly three months it has been locked in a public confrontation with Israel.

After Mr. Obama chose to insist on an absolutist demand for a settlement "freeze," Palestinian and Arab leaders who had accepted previous compromises immediately hardened their positions; they also balked at delivering the "confidence-building" concessions to Israel that the administration seeks.
(Washington Post)
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