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Obama's Visit to Region Brings New Hope for Peace

US President Barack Obama spoke at his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech in 2009 of his desire to achieve peace in Israel-Palestine; now is his chance, Daoud Kuttab writes.
U.S. President Barack Obama (right) shakes hands with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, March 5, 2012.     REUTERS/Jason Reed   (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2YVLP

Just when it appeared that the United States was about to wash its hands from the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, new information is emerging from Washington indicating the opposite.

Many observers of U.S. foreign policy understand that in an election year, the U.S. is unable to articulate a coherent (and possibly confrontational with the pro-Israel lobby) strategy in regards to the Palestinian conflict.  The day after President Barack Obama won a hard-fought electoral battle in which the Israeli prime minister clearly and publicly favored his opponent, many expected that the U.S. president would immediately shift to a more genuinely neutral policy towards the Middle East conflict. That may still happen, but foreign policy, like everything else, can’t be carried out without a well thought-out strategy, action plan and most importantly individuals who will carry the baton and implement it.

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