Bibi, Wake Up
YNET NEWS: Obama’s speech in Cairo presents Netanyahu with unequivocal dilemma

President Barack Obama’s speech in Cairo is supposed to be no less than a terribly loud bell ringing through the corridors of Israel’s political establishment. For those who thus far did not understand – or did not wish to understand – the winds blowing from Washington, Obama left no room for doubt: The United States supports Israel, yet the era of trickery, promises, and the gradual annexation in Judea and Samaria is over. The time has come for action; the time has come for moving towards a resolution of the Palestinian problem. And in Obama’s view, there is only one solution: A Palestinian state.

Beyond its expected effect within the Muslim world, the Cairo speech is no less than an effort to outline a path for Israel’s political establishment; a clear signal where things are headed. Ever since Obama’s election, officials in Jerusalem have sought ways to explain, interpret, and circumvent what has been obvious for a while now. With arrogance and contempt, officials here attempted to downplay the tension vis-à-vis the Americans, blur the disagreements, and hide behind various “natural growth” arguments. Now, Obama has made it clear: Wasting time and continued settlement construction are out; negotiations on the establishment of a Palestinian state are in. This message will affect Israel’s public and political discourse in the near future.

For Netanyahu, this is a major junction that offers only two directions: A collision course with the world’s greatest power, which will lead to Israel’s isolation and ostracism in the international arena – or a dramatic policy shift [e] that will exact difficult political prices. In other words: The prime minister must decide whether he’s going with Likud’s more rightist members, or with Obama.

When these are the options, Netanyahu has reason for concern in political terms. Wherever he turns, he will be hurt: If he folds in the face of the American pressure and modifies the narrative that has been accompanying him since he took office, he will encounter domestic resistance and an “Intifada” on the part of the Right and the settlers. Yet if he insists on going along with the conservative line that characterizes him and his government, in the face of the American pressure, he will quickly lose the Israeli public’s support, and possibly also the support of the Labor party, which is committed to the two-state solution. In both cases, Bibi’s current coalition may be shaken up. >>> Attila Somfalvi | Saturday, June 06, 2009

Obama: «je crois fermement
à une solution à deux Etats»
Mahmoud Abbas avec Barack Obama. Photo grâce au Figaro
LE FIGARO: Le président américain, qui reçevait jeudi soir le leader palestinien Mahmoud Abbas, a répété qu'il exigeait l'arrêt de la colonisation israélienne en Cisjordanie.

Barack Obama maintient le cap de la fermeté dans la relation entre Etats-Unis et Israël. Le président américain reçevait jeudi soir le leader de l'Autorité palestinienne, Mahmoud Abbas, à la Maison-Blanche. Une visite qui prend un ton tout particulier, alors que la nouvelle administration israélienne fait la sourde oreille à l'injonction de Washington, mercredi, de geler les constructions de colonies en Cisjordanie et refuse d'envisager la solution à deux Etats séparés préconisée par les Etats-Unis.

Mahmoud Abbas, qui ne contrôle concrètement que la Cisjordanie, le Hamas tenant d'une main de fer la Bande de Gaza, est venu à Washington pour rappeler l'urgence de relancer le processus de paix israélo-palestinien. Pour lui, «le temps est un facteur essentiel» dans l'affaire.

Le dirigeant palestinien a d'ailleurs remis à Barack Obama un document contenant des propositions pour sortir de l'impasse. «Ce document ne sort pas du cadre de la Feuille de route et de l'Initiative de paix arabe. Il contient des idées pour la mise en place de mécanismes d'application de ces deux plans», précise-t-il, assurant qu'Obama a promis de l'étudier.

Rappelant une nouvelle fois que les Etats-Unis sont «un allié inconditionnel» d'Israël, le président américain a adopté un ton optimiste sur la perspective d'un apaisement des tensions au Proche-Orient. «Je pense qu'il est important de ne pas s'attendre au pire, mais d'espérer le meilleur», a-t-il lancé, demandant à nouveau l'arrêt de la colonisation israélienne. >>> Samuel Laurent (lefigaro.fr) avec agences | Vendredi 29 Mai 2009

LOS ANGELES TIMES: U.S.-Israel Rift Becomes an Unusually Public One

President Barack Obama meets with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and repeats his tough stance on Jewish settlements. Obama is to deliver a speech to the Muslim world next week from Cairo.

Reporting from Jerusalem and Washington Richard Boudreaux -- President Obama and top Israeli officials staked out sharply opposing positions over the explosive issue of Jewish settlements Thursday, propelling a rare dispute between the two close allies into full public view just days before the U.S. leader is due to deliver a long-awaited address in Egypt to the world's Muslims.

Speaking after a White House meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Obama reiterated that he had been "very clear about the need to stop building settlements, to stop building outposts" on Palestinian territory.

Only hours earlier, the Israeli government said it would continue to allow some growth in the settler communities in the West Bank.

The exchange underscored the unusually hard-line position Obama has taken publicly with Israel early in his administration. Most U.S. presidents, aware of the political sensitivity, have worked hard to keep disagreements out of sight, when they existed.

The back and forth also added a contentious note to the start of a grueling period of Middle East peace talks that the White House has pledged to aggressively pursue. And it comes as Obama prepares his speech scheduled for next week that is aimed at repairing U.S. ties with the Muslim world.

The verbal disagreement with Israel defied expectations of U.S. and Israeli officials, as well as many analysts, who had predicted that the new American president and the newer conservative Israeli prime minister would seek a pragmatic way to avoid public clashes.

But since Obama met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House 11 days ago, the contrasts have steadily risen in public view.

Obama believes an Israeli settlement freeze would elicit concessions from moderate Arab states, reinvigorating peace negotiations.

In staff-level talks that continue almost daily, Israeli officials have balked. >>> By Paul Richter and Christi Parsons and Richard Boudreaux | Friday, May 29, 2009

Netanyahu Stands Firm Against Demands from Barack Obama
THE TELEGRAPH: Israel stood firm against demands from Barack Obama on Monday to cease the construction of Jewish settlements and embrace the "two-state solution" to achieving peace in the Middle East.

Barack Obama meets with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office. Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, in his first meeting with the US president, made it clear that while he welcomed Mr Obama's commitment to the region, he was more concerned about dealing with the threat of Iran than peace talks.

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.

Sitting side by side in the White House, the two leaders hailed the friendship between their two countries but remained far apart on how to proceed towards a resolution of the 60-year conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. >>> By Alex Spillius in Washington | Monday, May 18, 2009

Obama to Press Netanyahu on Two States, Settlements
REUTERS: Obama to push two-state solution to conflict / Common ground seen on Iran nuclear issue / Restarting Israeli-Syrian peace talks on agenda

WASHINGTON - Days before a White House summit, the Obama administration signaled on Saturday that the U.S. president would press Israel's new government to endorse Palestinian statehood and halt settlement expansion.

But senior U.S. officials downplayed prospects of a confrontation between President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday as they grapple with rare differences between Washington and its close ally.

"The president does not believe it's going in a bad direction," one Obama aide told reporters when asked about the refusal so far by Netanyahu's right-leaning government to embrace a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict.

Administration officials said Obama would push that principle, the cornerstone of U.S. Middle East policy for years, in his talks with Netanyahu, which are aimed at reviving the stalled peace process.

"Two states living side by side in peace and security -- my guess is they'll discuss that, and it's an issue they'll continue to work through," an official said. >>> Matt Spetalnick | Saturday, May 16, 2009

Will Benjamin Netanyahu Fall Out with Barack Obama?
THE TELEGRAPH: On Monday, Benjamin Netanyahu will have his first formal meeting with Barack Obama in the White House. All the signs are that relations between Israel and its superpower ally are not as harmonious as usual, says David Blair.

Before going into politics, Benjamin Netanyahu made his name as a skilled ambassador to the United Nations. But he will need every ounce of diplomatic finesse to deal with the conundrum he faces as Israel's new prime minister.

On Monday, Mr Netanyahu will have his first formal meeting with Barack Obama in the White House. All the signs are that relations between Israel and its superpower ally are not as harmonious as usual.

In the next few weeks, America is expected to publish the outlines of a new Middle East peace plan. The goal will be the creation of a Palestinian state based on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Mr Netanyahu, however, has not accepted the principle of Palestinian statehood, and his coalition is filled with Right-wing politicians who are bitterly opposed to the idea. A public rift between Israel and America over the endgame of a Middle East settlement is a real possibility.

On its own, American support for a Palestinian state is nothing new. George W Bush was the first US president to make this pledge explicitly when he produced his "road map" to peace in 2003. But two factors make the present situation different and more dangerous for Israel's government.

Mr Bush waited until his third year in office before coming up with the map – and he only did so because he needed diplomatic cover after his invasion of Iraq. Mr Obama, in contrast, seems set to publish his vision for a settlement in the first six months of his presidency, at the apex of his prestige, and without any diplomatic distractions to compare with the Iraq invasion.

Moreover, Israel assumed during the Bush presidency that it could get away with ignoring the map without incurring any serious penalties. So it proved: the path that supposedly led to a Palestinian state turned out to lead nowhere. >>> By David Blair | Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Pope Underlines Support for a Palestinian State
Pope Benedict XVI with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (front row, 2nd L) and Israel's President Shimon Peres (front row, 2nd R) at a welcoming ceremony at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport Monday. Photo courtesy of The New York Times

THE NEW YORK TIMES: JERUSALEM — On the fourth day of his first trip to the Middle East as pope, Benedict XVI arrived Monday in Israel and immediately called for a solution to the conflict that would yield a “homeland of their own” for both Palestinians and Israelis.

While he did not use the word “state,” he made clear in a brief speech that he was underscoring the Vatican’s previous support for the creation of a Palestinian state, albeit with a stronger resonance imparted by the setting and timing of his remarks within minutes of arriving in Israel.

“The eyes of the world are upon the peoples of this region as they struggle to achieve a just and lasting solution to conflicts that have caused so much suffering,” he told Israeli leaders who met him at the airport in Tel Aviv when he arrived from Jordan.

“The hopes of countless men, women and children for a more secure and stable future depend on the outcome of negotiations for peace between Israelis and Palestinians,” he said. >>> By Rachel Donadio | Monday, May 11, 2009

Barack Obama Hints at Tougher Line on Israel
TIMESONLINE: The Obama Administration has signalled a tougher approach towards Israel ahead of fresh talks on the Middle East peace process by insisting it must endorse the creation of an independent Palestinian state.

“Israel has to work toward a two-state solution,” declared Vice-President Joe Biden today in a speech to the annual conference of a powerful pro-Israel lobby group in Washington.

“You’re not going to like my saying this,” he warned the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) before adding that the Jewish state should not build any more settlements on Palestinian territory, and should “dismantle existing outposts and allow Palestinians freedom of movement”.

President Obama later held a White House meeting with Shimon Peres, his Israeli counterpart, who holds a largely ceremonial position. But the US Administration’s message appeared to be addressed to the new right-wing Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who is due to visit the White House on May 18.

Mr Netanyahu has dismayed American, Arab and European officials by pointedly refusing to back Palestinian statehood since taking office on March 31. In his own speech to Aipac, sent via satellite link, he said: “We are prepared to resume peace negotiations without any delay and without any preconditions — the sooner the better.” Saeb Erekat, the senior Palestinian negotiator, however, criticised Mr Netanyahu’s speech for its “vagueness” on core issues such as the status of Jerusalem and refugees, as well as its failure to commit to a two-state solution. >>> Tom Baldwin, Washington | Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Iran's President 'Would Support Two-state Solution' for Israel
THE TELEGRAPH: Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has recognised Israel's right to exist for the first time, saying it would be "fine with us" if the Palestinians reached a two-state solution.

Asked if he would support an agreement between the Palestinians and Tehran's arch enemy, he said: "Whatever decision they take is fine with us. We are not going to determine anything. Whatever decision they take, we will support that.

"We think that is the right of the Palestinian people, however we fully expect other states to do so as well."

Given his frequently stated hostility to Israel's existence - calling more than once for its "annihilation" - and his habit of capriciously offering threat and promises of friendship within the space of a few days, Mr Ahmadinejad's words will not treated by Western diplomats as a permanent shift in policy.

He has previously declared that Israel should be "wiped off the map" and a week ago accused the Israelis of running the "the most cruel and repressive racist regime".

But his comments are now in the open and cannot be taken back. They will provide the Obama administration and its European partners significant encouragement that he is prepared to move beyond the mutual hostility of the Bush era and negotiate on Iran's nuclear programme, which the West is convinced is designed to produced nuclear weapons as soon as possible. >>> By Alex Spillius in Washington | Sunday, April 26, 2009

Israel's New Foreign Minister Dismisses Two-state Solution
THE INDEPENDENT: Far-right Lieberman rejects US-led talks with Palestinians

Far-right politician Avigdor Lieberman stunned diplomats in his first speech as Israel's foreign minister yesterday when he rejected the past year of US-led negotiations and said that a previous commitment Israel made to Palestinian statehood "had no validity".

Mr Lieberman reinforced fears that his government will steer the country in a more hawkish direction when he added that concessions to Palestinians would be "mistaken". The remarks contradicted Israel's previous commitments agreed at the Annapolis conference in 2007, and drew an immediate response from Mike Hammer, a spokesman for the US National Security Council, who emphasised that the US was "committed to the establishment of a democratic Palestinian state living side by side with Israel in peace and security".

Expectations had been raised in recent weeks that Mr Lieberman would seek to soften his image, and that the new hardline government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu would avoid alienating the international community.

Mr Lieberman's speech came a day after Mr Netanyahu offered the Palestinians self-rule in place of the statehood that had at least rhetorically been on offer in a declaration accompanying the relaunch of peace talks under the leadership of Ehud Olmert at the Annapolis conference. But Mr Lieberman said "The Israeli government never ratified Annapolis, nor did parliament."

Mr Lieberman took issue with the very idea of concessions towards the Palestinians saying that "whoever thinks that through concessions peace will be achieved is mistaken. He is only inviting pressure and more wars." >>> By Ben Lynfield in Jerusalem | Thursday, April 2, 2009