There is a growing impression among Israelis that President Barak Obama’s upcoming visit, including a few hours in the West Bank, will be more decisive than the White House currently anticipates.
The results of the January elections in Israel provided an opening for many groups to seek to deter Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reckless intransigence and his propensity to dictate rather than to persuade. Centrists and leftists along the political spectrum have been relatively emboldened and are hoping for a new political map, albeit with a right-wing twist. The election results, they hope, will enable them to have their voices taken more seriously by Obama.
