Obama’s diplomatic offensive in the Middle East

[IndianaGreen]

Obama’s diplomatic offensive in the Middle East

By Jean Shaoul
1 August 2009

President Barack Obama’s diplomatic offensive in the Middle East, portrayed as a peace mission, is aimed at restoring Washington’s position and influence in pursuit of its geo-strategic interests.

The Obama administration is seeking the establishment of a truncated and weak Palestinian entity, an improvement in relations with Syria, and the curbing of Iran’s growing influence in the region. In line with these goals, the US wants to secure agreement with its key ally, Israel, for a freeze on the expansion of settlements and acceptance of a Palestinian statelet underwritten by the Arab states. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu heads perhaps the most right-wing government in Israel’s history and is politically dependent on ultra-nationalist settlers and far-right parties hostile to all of these objectives and opposed to any concessions to Syria or Iran.

No less than four senior US officials have visited Israel in the last week: the US special envoy for Israeli-Palestinian relations, George Mitchell, who also travelled to Syria, Egypt, Ramallah and Bahrain; the national security advisor, James Jones; the National Security Council senior director for the Middle East and special envoy for the Persian Gulf, Dennis Ross; and the defence secretary, Robert Gates, who also went to Jordan and Iraq.

Their success in dictating terms to Israel was limited.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2009/aug2009/isra-a01.shtml