The Arabist

The Arabist

By Issandr El Amrani and friends.

The Trouble With Obama’s Cairo Speech -- In These Times

The Trouble With Obama’s Cairo Speech -- In These Times
Noam Chomsky hints at my interpretation of Obama's Middle East peace process moves, i.e. that the US will now push not for the international consensus on the issue as defined by UNSC Res. 242 and others, but the creation of a weak Palestinian state as an alternative to the no-Palestinian-state solution of the neocons. This is the essential difference between a Bibi Netanyahu and an Ehud Olmert, and Obama (as much as his choices is limited by that framework) is an Olmertian. Chomsky also points out that:
It is also worth remembering that the Bush I administration went a bit beyond words in objecting to illegal Israeli settlement projects, namely, by withholding U.S. economic support for them. In contrast, Obama administration officials stated that such measures are “not under discussion” and that any pressures on Israel to conform to the Road Map will be “largely symbolic,” as the New York Times reported on June 1.