This piece at Israel Policy Forum and the original article in Yediot are drawing attention, though the original article doesn't seem to be online yet; at least they don't have an English version up on their website yet and I haven't located a Hebrew one but my Hebrew is too poor to be confident I'm not missing it, but the gist, as summarized at the link, is that Rahm Emanuel told an unnamed Jewish organizer that President Obama is determined to bring about a two-state solution during his first term, and that Obama will be "out of town" when Netanyahu attends the AIPAC conference, the implication being that Netanyahu will be snubbed until he comes around.
That Obama and Netanyahu have rather different visions of an Israeli-Palestinian settlement has been obvious for some time. Rahm Emanuel — whose father fought with the Irgun — may be the one senior Administration figure who could get away with this kind of toughness without being accused of anti-Israeli bias or worse, but it also is unusual for a White House Chief of Staff to be sending diplomatic messages.
It does suggest that, despite the seeming lack of progress on any kind of Israeli-Palestinian settlement and the many obstacles still in place, that there may be a new determination on the American side. It could be an interesting signal. (It could also be a gross exaggeration: the Israeli press sometimes magnifies things.)
Friday, April 17, 2009
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