Saturday
May092009
Breaking News: Obama to Link New Speech to Muslims with Israel-Palestine Initiative?
Saturday, May 9, 2009 at 7:41
The White House announced yesterday that President Obama will speak to the Islamic world on 4 June in Cairo. The address follows his widely-publicised, and widely-praised, address from Turkey in April.
The speech, however, may be part of a wider initiative. As we reported two days after Obama's Turkey speech, the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz was told by a senior US diplomat that the President would be visiting Tel Aviv and the West Bank in June. The timing fits yesterday's announcement: Obama will make another general appeal for "engagement", then have meetings and photo opportunities with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas.
The American media have not picked up on this possibility yet, so sharp-eyed readers may want to stay ahead of the game by reading signals from Washington and Tel Aviv.
The speech, however, may be part of a wider initiative. As we reported two days after Obama's Turkey speech, the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz was told by a senior US diplomat that the President would be visiting Tel Aviv and the West Bank in June. The timing fits yesterday's announcement: Obama will make another general appeal for "engagement", then have meetings and photo opportunities with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas.The American media have not picked up on this possibility yet, so sharp-eyed readers may want to stay ahead of the game by reading signals from Washington and Tel Aviv.
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