The U.S. administration has not been successful in securing commitments from Arab countries to take steps toward normalizing relations with Israel, a senior source in Jerusalem said Wednesday.
The source said U.S. President Barack Obama's recent meeting with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia did not produce a commitment to encourage the other Arab states to begin normalization.
"In such a situation, the Americans can't continue demanding gestures only from Israel, such as the demand that Israel freeze settlement construction," the source said.
In response, a senior White House source said talks with the Arab states are continuing with the aim of obtaining a commitment to make gestures toward Israel, and there is still hope for progress.
Somehow, getting the Arabs "to make gestures toward Israel" is probably the least of their problems. As it is, demanding concessions from Israel in the absence of any reciprocal move by the Arabs is unlikely to stop the Obama administration from making demands of Israel--after all, how else to encourage the Arab world?
Technorati Tag: Israel and Obama.
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