Better late than never. President Barack Obama did his shtick in Jerusalem, and it worked.

As was to be expected, the American president’s magic touch electrified Israelis, too. For four long, tortuous years, they had been waiting for him, watching helplessly as he gave most of his attention to the Arab world around them. They saw him giving them, but chiefly their prime minister, a cold shoulder, relegating them to the bottom of his priorities. But it was all well worth the wait. Although reading from a teleprompter, getting his material from painstaking research by the embassy staff and intelligence agencies, and relying on the great means that are available to the president of a superpower, when all is said and done, it’s him — Obama.

This man seems to be pushing some secret button to create a buzz and admiration among his listeners, no matter where on the globe he delivers a speech. Last Thursday [March 21], he gave a talk in Jerusalem but conquered Tel Aviv. Those were not Jerusalemites at the Israel Convention Center; they were Tel Avivians. Here, on the Al-Monitor website, we had called on Obama to visit Tel Aviv, where the genuine, original, liberal, and sane Israel can be found; the democratic Israel.

Obama opted for Jerusalem but brought Tel Aviv over. Only a handful of ultra-Orthodox, observant Zionists or right-wing ideologists could be seen in the audience. The American embassy handpicked a liberal, sane and Western audience for the president’s address. To use American terms, Barack Obama addressed a Democratic Party caucus in Boston. It looked like rooting home-team fans. It seemed like a welcome for a lost son returning home. Obama knew to push all the right buttons, although he did not spare the audience his criticism.