Allow Me To Translate

Submitted by Alan Fox (United States), Jan 22, 2010 at 16:29

When President Obama says, "This is just really hard" what he means "They just won't follow orders." The president is not being disingenuous. He believes (and still does) he could issue orders that would be obeyed. He does not appreciate he is considered a naif by practically every leader in the Middle East. I suggest the president's statement is evidence that as far as his policy is concerned, Israeli concessions (for example, unilateral withdrawal from Gaza) will continue to be taken for granted, while Palestinian behavior (for example, rocket attacks) is overlooked. Israeli behavior (for example, residences constructed in Jerusalem) will be criticized as a threat to peace, while Palestinian demands (for example, "right" of return) will receive full faith and credit.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".