Obama And Israel: Different Middle East Peace Strategies

West Bank Wall. Photo from Flickr.

From the Atlantic Council:

Unless former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell, President Obama's special Middle Eastern envoy, is prepared to commute by government executive jet for the next five to 10 years, this isn't a bad time to turn in his badge. Moshe Ya'alon, Israel's vice prime minister and minister for strategic affairs in Israel's 32nd government, talked his way through Washington's corridors of power this week, spelling out the Jewish state's refurbished negotiating posture for a Palestinian state. Bottom line: The Nobel Peace Prize will not help Obama's quest for an independent homeland for the Palestinians by the end of his first term. Even if re-elected, the geopolitical prize would most probably elude him again.

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My Comment: Arnaud de Borchgrave is the man who authored this article, and while I am usually in disagreement with him on a number of issues, I do find myself sympathetic with his observations on the difficulty of changing Israel's positions and strategies on the peace issue. The Israelis do not trust the Palestinians .... and with good reason. President Obama is trying to change this perception .... and while his reasoning is right, he cannot change history and the bitterness that divides Israelis and Palestinians.