There's something about this itch of an issue that just cannot be avoided, and how we all continuously scratch it as tho there is some question/issue of what's going on. It understandably aggravates people (like both of us, and many others, I suppose), who'd like to think we (the US) have influence with Israel, when all the power is on their side and when it comes to Israel they are the ones calling our shots.

So, no, as Walt inasmuchas says, this meeting is a PR gesture meant to make the general public feel better, as tho we somehow do determine US policy based on our own national interests, when it isn't so.

Israel's right-wing, through its rich and influential domestic US supporters, Jewish and Christian Zionists alike, have entirely too much political and media clout to allow Obama much flexibility. His ability is limited to creating whatever facade he may be able to spin, as long as it doesn't get in the way of Israels ongoing process of taking whatever Palestinian lands they covet. This annexation has been modulated from time to time, but since 67 its been very much like a boa constrictor who has matters firmly under control, and there is nothing about the process that is not consistent and relentless, or mistakable in its intent.

I just heard Obama on the news saying how Netanyahu is "a man of peace, who wants peace, and who is ready to take chances for peace." But there will be peace only as long as the remaining Palestinians get out when settlers show up an tell them to move, and as long as they then rot quietly in the appalling slums set up for the purpose; Nobody chooses to live in Gaza.

All this drama would be a bore given how obvious it is, except for how it goes against our vanities of thinking we (the US) are the guys with the white hats who do the right thing. When ANY such unprejudiced person takes the trouble to learn what's going on, then sees how Israel has the US so totally in their pocket, and very much against their own interests, it sets up some horrible cognitive dissonance. It brings forth all this pathetic hand-wringing.

This issue is an enormous uncomfortable comment on how US foreign policy in the Mideast is largely dictated by Israel, albeit with admirable political and PR finesse, against its own interests. Nobody wants to look at that bitch in the eye and the various White Houses/Congresses go to enormous lengths to avoid doing so. After all, it'd cost them the always looming next election.

Honestly Mr Walt- we don't expect you to comment. So far, you have consistently proved to be unable to provide any meaningful analysis. Your line of always endorcing an Anti- Israeli line, dismissing Israeli interests whatever they may be may draw the usual crowds to cheer you but adds very little to fresh views on the issue.
So, I think we're all better off reading some fact based rather than guts-based commentary (try the Economist) or even making up our own minds.

I would take issue with the Professor’s view that: “Obama has been in retreat mode since his Cairo speech”. It may rather be that he has stood firmly in the one place while circumstances have been nudging the situation towards his expressed goal. If one were to chart the position of Israel and the problem of Gaza in the consciousness of the world two years ago and then today, plotting those intervening Israeli actions that have hit global awareness, even the most single-minded apologist could scarcely regard the trend line as suggesting anything but a weakening of Zionist prospects. Recall Stein’s Law, if something cannot go on forever, it will stop…(so there is no necessity to intervene).

This goes on and on. The virulence of the anti-semites (no one is watching, you can admit it) goes on and on. Europeans and leftists look for evidence of guilt on the part of Jews to alleviate their own guilt for mass murder. Americans display their ignorance and isolationist tendencies by cutting down the supposedly powerful or 'other'. As for Arabs, they have been sliding for so long they need someone else to blame for their ills...

Israel has a variety of people, some good and some bad, like most every other country. It is in a tough spot and tough location. Despite this, when it does go overboard there are often consequences, and there is a domestic opposition. Find those in any of the Arab countries, I dare you.

As for Israeli influence over the US, what a load of reccyled hogwash. Every group has its lobbyists and influence peddlers. Israel has strength in the US, clearly. However, depiste Mr. Walt's fantasies, those interests do not control Dick Cheney, George Bush, Barak Obama or any of the thousands of senior policy makers in the USG, and more than the millions of pro-Arab dollars spent by oil and other industrial groups. Look closely at the attendance lists of Congressional events for memebers of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and see how many oilmen pay $5,000/head to go and whisper about our need to support the Palestinians to garner favor with Saudis. Please, the Jews WISH they had the power everyone ascribes to them.

Deal with the facts as they stand without trying to make up specious arguments and strawmen to attack your opponents.

attacks such as "mossad agent" lolz or Hasbarah agent double lolz, or propaganda! - translation "I can't respond to facts so I say "propaganda!" and thus I am right ! LOLZ

The Middle East war is not now and never was a conflict between Israelis/Jews on the one hand and Palestinians on the other. In fact, the Arab-"Palestinians", while currently the perpetrators of most of the anti-Jewish atrocities, were never a very important part of the conflict. In fact, before about 1970, virtually no one in the world considered the Middle East conflict to be one between Israelis and Palestinians.

The term "Palestinian" itself had referred to Israeli Jews back in the 1940s, and had been slowly deconstructed and redefined to refer to the Arabs in the West Bank and Gaza. The Middle East Conflict was always a war by Arabs against Jews, not a conflict between Israelis and "Palestinians." The war was repackaged as a conflict between Jews and Palestinians as a public relations gimmick by the Arab fascist regimes. These regimes had never had any interest in "Palestinians," in creating a "Palestinian" state, or in "Palestinian nationalism" before 1967. That is because Palestinian nationalism did not and DOES NOT exist. The Palestinians were a regional group of Arabs having virtually no cultural nor national distinctive traits separating them from Syrians, Lebanese, and Jordanians. They are all basically Arabs!.

The bulk of what are called "Palestinian Arabs" are members of families who migrated into the Land of Israel beginning in the late 19th century. Palestinian nationalism is a mislabeling of Arab nationalism. Arab nationalism exists, although it is closely bound up with Islamic nationalism and even Islamism. Palestinian nationalism, however, is a phantom. It is nothing more than genocidal hatred of Jews!

The Arab assaults and aggressions against Israel in 1948, 1956, 1967, 1968, and 1973 had nothing to do with Palestinians. The Palestinian terror campaign would itself be easy to suppress today and eradicate if the Middle East conflict were really a Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Israel would simply obliterate the terrorists and expel their supporters to Syria and Lebanon. The Middle East war continues because it is really an Arab-Israeli war, not an Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is also in large part a war between barbarism and civilization. In many ways an Islamic religious jihad against the Jews.

As an interested observer of international politics with a particularly the Middle East it is time for Israel to stop playing games and simply annex the West bank as it has absolutely no intentions of accepting a two state solution. Made in America Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has cobbled together such a disparate coalition of political parties that there is no way that even if he had the political will would the coalition endorse it and President Obama doesn't have the political strength to take on Congress the Knesset of America.

America may be hocked to its eyeballs to China with no signs that it will return to an economically healthy state any time soon as it spends all its money of two wars that have no end in sight. General McChristal had it right in Rolling Stone and to put the savior of Iraq General Patreus to lead the coallition in Afghanistan will accomplish nothing. He didn't "tame" Iraq it is still without a government and still in a state of anarchy and he most certainly will not tame Afghanistan.

The Americans just don't get it. These countries don't want to become replicas of America, they have their own customs and culture that predate America by thousands of years and whether the world likes it or not it is their country and their lives.

Afghanistan and Iraq look closely at how America democracy and justice works by examining the Israeli Palestinian problem and doesn't like what it sees. The Palestinians had free and fair elections monitored by Europe and when Hamas won the elction to the surprise of only America and Israel they didn't like the result and refused to accept the outcome so much for democracy American style.

It also sees Israel swaggering in the Middle East attacking without even a modicum of restraint defenseless countries like Gaza and Lebanon for no particular reason except that it can.

Israel will never make peace with the Palestinians at the cost of returning the land it stole in June 1967 it hasn't in the past shows no intention of doing so in the present and won't do so in the future. After all what is a hand full of dead Zionists in the greater scheme of things to Israel?

Despite the temptation, please just simply stop responding to Khan. He is a lost cause and should not be interacted with. When he writes something that is nearly intelligible, simply write a one line response, like "Writer is a known entity on this blog - please ignore." and move on.

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