Nobody Happy About Obama

In the beginning, the Arab world was ecstatic with the prospects of President Barack Obama changing the dynamic between the West and the Middle East. His background and willingness to sit down with Arab and Muslim leaders sparked optimism that finally, after eight years of demonization, the Arab world would have a fair hearing by the
Administration.

Meanwhile, Israelis were terrified that the new president would align the Jewish state’s most staunch ally with the Arab world and dismiss shared values between the people of both countries.

It seems, both the Arab world and Israelis are starting to rethink their positions.

Prominent Palestinian Liberation Organization official Ahmed Quriea said Palesintians “misread” and were simply wrong about the impact Obama would have and instead the new U.S. president has managed to repeat the same procedures as his predecessors. Obama, according to Quriea, chose to push for a restart to negotiations in lieu of “ending the occupation,” a stance that Obama’s predecessors also held, Quriea said.

Similarly, a new poll on the Israeli public found 41-percent of Israelis viewed Obama favorably, compared with 37-percent unfavorably, but that Israelis generally do not feel supported by the new president. 55-percent of respondents said Obama does not support Israel, compared with 42-percent who disagree.

These figures and Qureia’s statements come as the new administration has attempted to reinvigorate hope and energy into the peace process. Obama met with Israeli Prime Minster Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas earlier this year and attempted to pressure Netanyahu to cease all settlement activity. Netanyahu rebuffed the call and instead proposed a more limited settlement freeze that left Palestinians clamoring that the Israeli government’s actions were minor and irrelevant.

Meanwhile, Israeli opposition leader and former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said Netanyahu’s statements in support or a Palestinian state are groundless seeing that Netanyahu is also trying to appease settlers. She said Netanyahu cannot attempt and “please Obama and the settlers,” thereby implying the Israeli Prime Minister has sided against Obama, an ascertion that the Israeli and U.S. governments would likely refute or at least dodge.

The poll, Palestinian remarks, and Livni’s comments point to a conclusion that the Obama Administration has not solidified its approach to the conflict, has endured some setbacks, and may fall into the same trap as previous Administrations. Without popular support from both Palestinians and Israelis, U.S. efforts to shepherd in a peace process may not take shape or gain momentum.

This potential lack of influence by the United States could lead one of the parties to seek a different mediator, and in fact, we have already seen the Palestinians approach Europe and Latin America to obtain support on Palestinian declarations of statehood.

However, only the United States has the resources -both military and financial- to prop up any peace process and the expertise in spearheading negotiations in the past. The Carter Administration orchestrated the, at the time, unlikely Camp David Accords and every U.S. president in the last 20 years has involved himself in the conflict.

The Obama Administration should heed the warning, from both Israelis and Palestinians, that optimism and hope in the new president is certainly waning. Obama needs a peace process victory soon or else all sides will dismiss the new president as either similar to his predecessors and destined for failure or in bed with the other side. This lack of confidence in the United States could lead to American irrelevance, and, ultimately, the collapse of prospects for the peace process, the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state, and a secure Israel.