A difficult position for Obama in the Middle East

During the summit meeting between US President Barack Obama, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday in New York Obama was confronted with the "stormy reality of the Middle East," the left-liberal daily De Volkskrant writes. "The assumption that both Israel and the Arab world highly appreciate America's active role appears only partially true. The Netanyahu government which took power in March has fought tooth and nail against the Obama government's demand for a halt to the building of settlements in the occupied areas. For its part the Palestinian/Arab camp interpreted the US's demand as a carte blanche not to make any gestures of its own and simply wait for things to happen. In principle a tougher stance on Israel is justified. But by insisting on a total stop the US has manoeuvred itself into an awkward position."

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