(poligazette).New Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu proved to be tougher than U.S. President Barack Obama expected. During their conversation earlier this week about the Middle East crisis, specifically the Palestinians-Israel problem, Netanyahu refused to play along with Obama’s grand plan.
Mr Obama was unable to secure any commitments on ceasing the construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank or embracing the “two-state solution” to achieving peace in the Middle East…
As we are used of Obama by now, he did not take the time to treat America’s most important ally in the region with the respect and appreciation other presidents have.
There was a conspicuous lack of praise for his 59-year-old Israeli visitor, whom he said had the “benefit of having served” previously as prime minister and for having “both youth and wisdom”.
The meeting overran to two hours, suggesting that the two sides had struggled to find a way of presenting a unified face to the watching world.
Both are in a terribly difficult position. Obama knows he cannot side too much with the Palestinians. If he does, he is in trouble at home.
On the other hand, Netanyahu realized long ago that Obama is no friend of Israel. At the same time, he too cannot afford to alienate him too much.
The result: both men talk for hours, achieve nothing, and have a difficult time convincing anybody that they get along well.
Those who love both the United States and Israel, and who believe that Israel is a vital ally of the West in the Middle East can only hope the two men will grow to like or at least trust each other in the months ahead.
