| Kippreport.com

Barracking Obama, Part II

January 1, 2010 8:54 by Ben Lynfield

Conversely, states like Saudi Arabia and Egypt were already on the defensive against charges they did not do more to aid the Palestinians in the Gaza conflict, says el-Amrani.

The absence of a viable peace process would heighten the risk of another major eruption of anger among Palestinians (and another Israeli operation in Gaza), fueling a sense of instability at a time when the Egyptian regime is already strained and grappling with the challenge of who will become President Mubarak¹s successor, el-Amrani says.

Jordan would also directly feel the heat because the majority of its population are Palestinians and because its Muslim Brotherhood identifies with Hamas. The perception in the Arab world is that the main reason Obama has not followed through on his Cairo declarations is the influence of the pro-Israel lobby in the United States.

Because of this factor, Abu Jaber, the former Jordanian foreign minister, is counseling limited expectations from President Obama.

“Can we expect him to bring back Jerusalem and solve the refugee issue? He’s the president of America, not of the Arabs and Palestinians. He is the first president to say a nice word to Arabs and Muslims and not to consider Islam a curse. Let’s encourage this. But to expect him to stand against the Israeli bulldozer in his country is not realistic.”

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Tags: Arab world, Barack Obama, israel, Middle East, politics, US foreign policies