It’s looking more and more like Obama is going to be pretty reasonable when he meets with Bibi today.
Exhibit one:
But analysts and officials in both governments said it is in neither man’s interest to have a public spat.
“For different but complementary reasons, both Obama and Netanyahu do not want this meeting to fail,” said Daniel C. Kurtzer, a former ambassador to Israel and a foreign policy adviser to the Obama campaign.
[…] In its Arab-Israeli policy, the Obama administration appears eager to coax small but symbolic confidence-building measures from all sides, especially Arab states, to build up a sense of momentum. In a speech this month before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel group, Vice President Biden declared: “Now is the time for Arab states to make meaningful gestures, to show the Israeli leadership and the people that the promise of ending Israel’s isolation in the region is real and genuine. They must take action now.”
Exhibit two:
US President Barack Obama will not rush to press Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in their upcoming meeting, a close associate of Special Mideast Envoy George Mitchell said Sunday.
“No winning strategy begins with a punch in the nose,” the source said, adding that Netanyahu can expect a “business-like meeting, highlighting the common” between the two countries.
Do I think that Obama is a friend of Israel? No. Do I think he’s going to be good for Israel? No. Do I think he’s going to be worse than his predecessors? No.
It’s very sexy to play up a major tiff between Netanyahu and Obama. But Netanyahu, at least, is an experienced leader, and has a fair bit of charisma of his own. I think he will charm Obama, and we’ll see friendly statements on both sides.