Middle East Online, 2009-11-19
Consistently humiliated by Israel
Analysts: Obama has no real power over Israel despite his hard tone against Tel Aviv.
WASHINGTON – The Obama administration is hardening its tone against Israel, but analysts warned Wednesday the tough talk was mere bluster hiding the lack of a viable plan to revive the Middle East peace process.
“You’ve had three ‘no’s’ to an American president in his first year,” said Aaron David Miller, who has served as advisor on Middle East peacemaking to previous US administrations
President Barack Obama is now “faced with the default position, which is words,” said Miller from the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
Tags: illegal Jewish settlements, Israel, new settlements in East Jerusalem, Obama administration, President Obama
Peace and Justice Post 
November 19, 2009 at 3:03 pm |
The predicament President Obama finds himself in was created by him. He has made several big mistakes. When Netanyahu was worried that Obama might threaten to withhold economic and military aid to exert pressure on him regarding the settlements, Obama assured him that he would not resort to threats. When the UN Goldstone Report was published and Netanyahu was worried that Obama might use it as a tool to put pressure on Israel, Obama promised him that he would veto any resolutions against Israel at the UN Security council. By promising to not use the power tools in his arsenal, Obama voluntarily renounced his power. It was as if he voluntarily put shackles on himself. I found his behavior rather baffling. How much longer does he intend to behave like this? The Arabs are clearly showing signs of great disappointment in him. It seems like his advisors have not advised him well. It is quite likely that their loyalty is to Israel and Netanyahu, not to America and Obama, because most of them are confirmed Zionists and strongly pro-Israel.
Yesh Prabhu, Plainsboro, NJ
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