| PRESIDENT Barack Obama’s initiative to seek peace in the Middle East has been widely welcomed in the Arab world, but has received a mixed reception in Israel.
In a speech in Cairo on 4 June, President Obama emphasised his administration’s commitment to a two-state solution to the Arab-Israeli crisis. He also said that the United States “does not accept the legitimacy of continued Jewish settlements. This construction violates previous agreements and undermines efforts to achieve peace.”
The Israeli government has also stopped short of saying that it will respond positively to President Obama’s policy on settlements, although a formal response is expected in a speech to be delivered by the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Sunday.
Seldom has an Israeli government felt such pressure from its closest ally. Only days after his Cairo speech, the US President sent his Middle East envoy, George Mitchell, to Israel to press home the message about settlements and the need to resume peace talks.
Mr Mitchell said on Tuesday that there were differences with Israel on some issues, but that these were disagreements among friends rather than adversaries. Nevertheless, the discomfort felt in Israel is apparent.
Within Arab countries, by contrast, President Obama’s speech, appearing to adopt a more balanced tone than his predecessors on the requirements for Middle East peace, was generally welcomed.
In the view of Jonathan Kuttab, a Christian lawyer and human-rights activist in the West Bank, the Pres-ident’s words “indicated for the first time genuine political will. His general tone was more humble and respectful towards the Arabs. The arrogance and swagger of the Bush era has disappeared.”
Commenting on the substance of the speech, Mr Kuttab said: “As a Palestinian, I heard nothing that was politically new or had not been said before. But Obama seemed to be serious about what he was saying, and that was new. He said the kind of things American presidents normally say when they leave office. It was refreshing that he spoke this way so early in his administration.”
The key issue, raised by commentators across the Middle East, is whether President Obama has the energy and political will to turn words into action. He warned early on in his Cairo address that “change cannot happen overnight. No single speech can eradicate years of mistrust.”
The Saudi columnist Hamad al-Majid wrote that the region was awaiting practical steps that would “persuade the Islamic people and their governments that the Obama administration is serious in trying to avoid the mistakes of the previous US administrations. Otherwise Obama will not be in a better po-sition than his predecessors.”
Mr Kuttab said that although he felt optimistic in the aftermath of President Obama’s speech, and the dispatch of Mr Mitchell to the region, he retained “some scepticism about how much pressure America will be willing to apply on Israel when push comes to shove”.
The important question, as the Obama initiative gains momentum, is whether the prospects for peace are better now than they were a few weeks ago.
There is no straightforward answer. Every process has to start somehow, and the President has given this latest one the best possible boost. But there is no escaping the fact that the difficult work lies ahead.
In his first Middle East tour, the President chose to visit two countries, Saudi Arabia (the birthplace of Islam), and Egypt (the most populous Arab state). Yet neither country is a direct player in the Arab-Israeli crisis, and both are more concerned with the growing power of Iran than the Palestinian problem.
Second, President Obama and Mr Mitchell are urging a swift resumption of talks between Israel and the Palestinians. But neither party is in a strong position. Mr Netanhyahu’s fragile Right-wing coalition would be unlikely to survive if the Prime Minister were to reverse policy and endorse all the principles that the Obama administration is espousing.
At the same time, the split within the Palestinian community is as wide as ever. Not only are Fatah and Hamas at odds, but divisions are also appearing within Fatah, with a weary President Mahmoud Abbas apparently longing to throw in the towel.
President Obama is young, and has plenty of energy. He will need it.
|
back to News
previous story
|
next story 
