arabs are disappointed with the obama administration because it seems to have abandoned its demand that israel freeze all settlement activity. that's because, it looks like the obama administration really has walked back from its demand that there be a total settlement freeze as a precondition for negotiations.
all the obama administration was trying to do was to get the israelis to carry out what they agreed to years ago when they signed on to the bush-era "road map to peace." "phase one" of the road map imposed preconditions on both sides to any negotiations. on the israeli side, it required israel to freeze all settlement activities. of course, when bush proposed it he added a secret agreement with the israeli government allowing it to ignore the preconditions that applied to them. that is, they could ignore the part about withdrawing from territory settled after september 25, 2000 and to continue to expand settlements under the guise of "natural growth." meanwhile both israel and the u.s. insisted that the palestinians comply with all of their preconditions.
obama's "bold new policy" was really nothing more than getting serious about what was officially the american position all along: the idea that both sides are expected to live up to their obligations instead of bashing the palestinians for every transgression while winking at the israelis when they ignore what they're supposed to do. the fact that this was seen as so radical is a testament to how bizarre the conventional wisdom about I/P issues have become in the u.s.
because the obama administration is unwilling to do anything more than ask the israelis to play nice and because the netanyahu government has no intention to agree to any freeze, obama is sliding back to the old default american position of tolerating settlements while pretending that only the palestinians break agreements. is it any wonder that the arabs are losing patience with him?
