The positive atmosphere surrounding last Thursday’s meeting between President Barack Obama and Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, confirms the new US administration has changed the approach to the Middle East. This was already apparent in Mr Obama’s talks the previous week with Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, which were far from routine in spite of the long, close relationship between the two countries they lead.
Israel, under Mr Netanyahu, is no longer committed to the two-state solution that has underpinned the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians for the past 18 years. Mr Obama, meanwhile, seems to be moving towards substantive engagement in the peace process on the basis of the “land for peace” formula on which it was conceived. New pressure from Washington for Israel to comply with the nuclear non-proliferation treaty indicates that this engagement is strategic, not merely window-dressing.
The result is a collision waiting to happen. Mr Netanyahu seeks Palestinian “autonomy”, while Mr Obama has reiterated his commitment to a Palestinian state. The US president has also underscored Israel’s obligations under the Washington-brokered “road map” to stop building Jewish settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.
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