It seems that for the first time in a long while, US President Barack Obama believes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The interview with Obama published March 21 by the Huffington Post indicates that Obama believes Netanyahu told the truth when he pledged during the election campaign, on March 16, that if elected to another term, an independent Palestinian state will not be established on his watch.

True, after his election victory Netanyahu tried to minimize the damage and claimed that his stance vis-a-vis a Palestinian state had not changed, and that “what has changed is reality,” but Washington doesn’t seem to be impressed. A day before the Huffington Post interview, in response to a question about whether the Israeli prime minister had clarified his position in the phone conversation he had with Obama, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said with an undisguised, ironic smile: “It’s unclear which of Netanyahu’s pronouncements about a Palestinian state should be believed.”

Netanyahu’s clarification is reminiscent of the story about a servant who pinched the king’s behind. On his way to the gallows he clarified that there had been a misunderstanding and that he had, in fact, meant to pinch the queen’s derriere. Reality has changed? Of course. It does so all the time. One cannot cross the same river twice. Leaders are required to take advantage of the opportunities offered by changing realities to promote the state’s unchanging interests: security, stability, good neighborly ties, positive international standing and economic well-being. When an unexpected storm hits the boat, this is exactly the right time for the captain to locate the waves that will help him guide his ship and its passengers to safety. This is no time to take a nap.

Not only that, reality in the Israeli-Arab arena has many and changing faces. It includes the demographic balance that forces Israel, if it chooses to continue the occupation, to also choose between becoming a binational state or an apartheid regime. The reality of the occupation strengthens Arab elements demanding abrogation of the Arab League’s Peace Initiative, which will be brought up for debate again at the Arab League summit in Sharm el-Sheikh on March 28. The reality of a diplomatic freeze also threatens the delicate relationships with Jordan and Egypt.