What Obama can accomplish in Israel
Despite low expectations, Obama has a long to-do list
On his first visit to Israel since taking office, President Obama started off by declaring America's enduring support for its closest ally in the Middle East. "I see this visit as an opportunity to reaffirm the unbreakable bond between our nations, to restate America's unwavering commitment to Israel's security," Obama said during a red-carpet welcoming ceremony at Tel Aviv's airport. "Our alliance is eternal." Obama joked with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying he was just happy to get away from Congress, but the president is expected to use the three-day trip to make a fresh start in his sometimes tense relationship with Israeli leaders, and rekindle peace talks with the Palestinians. He'll meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank on Thursday.
Obama only just arrived, but his "visit to Israel has got off on the right foot," says Mark Mardell at BBC News. He and Netanyahu "fell over themselves to be nice" to each other on the red carpet, which bodes well for a trip mostly meant to simply "rebuild bridges, re-establish relationships." Netanyahu said it was generous of Obama, the leader of what he called "the world's greatest democracy," to go out of his way to visit "a somewhat smaller democracy" on the first overseas trip of his second term.
It will take more than buttering up Israel's leaders, however, to make the trip a success. Obama has "much ground to make up," says Britain's Telegraph in an editorial. He launched his first term by reaching out to the Arab world on a trip to Cairo, then failing to drop in on America's staunchest ally in the volatile region in the remaining four years of his first term.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In the end, Obama might find the results of the trip to be mixed. He's trying "to reassure the Israelis he's got their back on Iran," says Janine Zacharia at Slate, but he might wind up wasting his time or, worse, making Netanyahu look like "the victor in his battle with Obama, rewarded not only for defying — or standing strongly against, depending on one's political perspective — an American president."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.
-
Baltimore bridge disaster: Who is going to pay and how?
Today's Big Question Politicians, legal experts, and the insurance industry are all grappling with the financial fallout of America's worst infrastructure tragedy in years
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Melting polar ice is messing with global timekeeping
Speed Read Ice loss caused by climate change is slowing the Earth's rotation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The Week contest: Stick guitar
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Xi-Biden meeting: what's in it for both leaders?
Today's Big Question Two superpowers seek to stabilise relations amid global turmoil but core issues of security, trade and Taiwan remain
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published