What Obama can accomplish in Israel

President Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have a notoriously prickly relationship, and an opinion poll of Jewish Israelis indicates that 51 percent think Obama is neutral about Israel — 10 percent think he is hostile.

So it was important that standing before the marching band and the dignitaries, fresh off the plane, Obama said the U.S. was proud to stand with Israel as its "strongest ally and... greatest friend", and that it was in America's national security interest to be close to Israel, in an uncertain time in the Middle East. [BBC News]

If Obama believes he can charm his way to persuading the Israelis to back his peace efforts, he should think again. Netanyahu may have been weakened by the outcome of Israel's recent elections, but he has still managed to appoint two hard-liners to the all-important defense and housing ministries, where they can be expected to maintain Israel's controversial settlement building program. As the Palestinians refuse to countenance any resumption of talks so long as settlement work continues, the prospects of a breakthrough remain bleak. [Telegraph]

That doesn't mean the trip couldn't do some good. While the president is there ostensibly repairing the relationship with Israelis who've felt jilted, Obama may be sending an important signal to Tehran. The message: Just because I can't stand Bibi doesn't mean I won't stand with him in preventing you from getting a nuclear weapon.

[...] When he delivers his speech in Jerusalem on Thursday, Obama can remind Israelis that if they want their nation to be a nation like all others — one with internationally accepted borders, no longer targeted by divestment campaigns, and not facing a possible third Intifada — they need to stop saying they have no partner and make peace with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas before it is too late. And if they can do that, he looks forward to coming back a second time as president — when they have a peace deal to sign. [Slate]