U.S. Israeli Relations On A Collision Course?

President Obama at the Wailing Wall Summer 2008.

Obama Team Readying For Confrontation With Netanyahu -- Haaretz

In an unprecedented move, the Obama administration is readying for a possible confrontation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by briefing Democratic congressmen on the peace process and the positions of the new government in Israel regarding a two-state solution.

The Obama administration is expecting a clash with Netanyahu over his refusal to support the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

In recent weeks, American officials have briefed senior Democratic congressmen and prepared the ground for the possibility of disagreements with Israel over the peace process, according to information recently received. The administration's efforts are focused on President Barack Obama's Democratic Party, which now holds a majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The preemptive briefing is meant to foil the possibility that Netanyahu may try to bypass the administration by rallying support in Congress.

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My Comment: This should not be a surprise, both sides are on complete opposite sides when it comes to the peace process and on what structure should a future Palestinian state look like. What further complicates the peace process is when Israel's new foreign minister .... Avigdor Lieberman .... declares the death of 16-month-old U.S.-sponsored peace talks with the Palestinians and said that those who wanted peace must prepare for war. Not the language that you want to hear.