"The American administration will continue to be bound by the Israeli agenda that destroys any option for peace" claims PA

Headline: “Obama, don’t waste time!”

Adel Abd Al-Rahman in his Al-Hayat Al-Jadida daily column

Many signs indicate that President Barack Obama’s upcoming March 20 visit in the region will not advance the peace process that has been frozen by Israeli intransigence. First of all, when Obama referred to the ethnic cleansing state (i.e., Israel) in his speech to the American people the day before yesterday, he did so only to emphasize American support for it.

Secondly, at a press conference held by the American Secretary of State with Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, he (the Secretary of State) was careful to avoid any conceivable cause for optimism on the part of Palestinians and Arabs regarding the black President’s visit in the region. This (even though) he did say that the President was interested in hearing from parties interested in peace about their degree of readiness to advance towards peace and their thoughts on the matter.

Thirdly, the American president’s reluctance to appoint a special emissary for the region indicates [his] having adopted a wait-and-see policy, even though the reality of the region shows no cause for optimism, to the point where the option of a political solution [is in danger of] collapse.

These three indicators are clear evidence that one should lower one’s expectations for the visit of the President of the United States to Israel, Palestine, and Jordan. This is true especially because it seems that the American administration – warm telephone calls with President Abbas notwithstanding – will continue to be bound by the Israeli agenda that destroys any option for peace, since President Obama and his Secretary of State, who chaired Congress’s Foreign Relations Committee before becoming Secretary of State, already know by heart the parties in the region, their programs and their policies. That is, he (the Secretary of State) was a key player in designing the administration’s foreign policy, and was in touch with the leaders of the region… and surely knows, therefore, just which (political) leadership is undermining the peace process.”