Charles Krauthammer: Obama Has Shifted American Sympathies in the Middle East (Video)

Abbas concerned for peace process
Lack of progress in the Mid-East peace process is "beginning to erode" faith that a two-state solution is possible, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said. Mr Abbas also told a Washington Think-tank that the Palestinians' main demand was to end the Blockade of Gaza. Israel is under strong international pressure following a deadly Raid on ships trying to break the Blockade. Mr Abbas has been on a visit to Washington which has included talks with President Barack Obama. "I would...

Images of Gaza - and Obama just agreed to give them $400 million more?
And then when I read that International Aid to Palestinians proves to support terror and violence , not relief and recovery, I get really steamed. Yet we have a president that shuns Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - the Prime Minister of America's closest ally in the Middle East, but poses for photo ops with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas . ( What can I say, Barack Hussein Obama just "hearts" Muslims more than Jews? ) Related video: Gaza, The Biggest Fundraiser In The World

Israel eases Gaza blockade on some banned foods
Jerusalem — Israel eased a three-year Blockade of Gaza Wednesday to allow in some previously banned food items in an effort to defuse the worldwide furor over its deadly Raid on a Gaza-bound international Flotilla. But critics said the step falls far short of what is needed in the impoverished Palestinian territory. In the first tangible step to temper the uproar caused by last week's Raid, Israel only narrowly expanded the list of items that can enter by adding little more than snack...

Israeli request for more arms from US raises fears of regional violence
© Reuters Israel's Defence Minister Ehud Barak made a move for the weapons during a recent visit to Washington Israel has approached the United States for more bombs and asked Washington to increase an emergency arms cache stowed on Israeli soil by 50 per cent, according to the leading newspaper Ha'aretz. The approach, made by Defence Minister Ehud Barak during a recent visit to Washington, reflects the heightened tensions in recent months between the Jewish State and its neighbours that...

Israeli document: Gaza blockade isn't about security
Jerusalem - As Israel ordered a slight easing of its Blockade of the Gaza Strip Wednesday, McClatchy obtained an Israeli government document that describes the Blockade not as a Security measure but as "economic warfare" against the Islamist group Hamas, which rules the Palestinian territory. Israel imposed severe restrictions on Gaza in June 2007, after Hamas won Elections and took control of the coastal enclave after winning Elections there the previous year, and the government has long...

Charles Krauthammer: Obama Has Shifted American Sympathies in the Middle East
Barack Obama called the increasingly tense environment in the Mideast "unsustainable" Wednesday and said Israel needs a "better approach" in blockaded Gaza that would satisfy security and humanitarian needs. Turning his attention to the troubled region as he welcomed Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to the White House for talks. Obama shakes hands with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (L) at the White House in Washington, June 9, 2010. Obama hosted Abbas at the White House on Wednesday...

Obama calls Israel-Palestine conflict 'unsustainable,' throws money at it
Washington, D.C. - President Obama recently decided to send $400 million to the Palestinian National Authority in order to improve life in Gaza and the West Bank. For those of you who don't know, the Palestinian National Authority does not control Gaza or the West Bank. Hamas does. MSNBC reports on Obama's meeting with Mahmoud Abbas: '"The situation in Gaza is unsustainable," Obama said as he met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the Oval Office. He said the...

Abbas "accepts the Jewish people's connection to the land of Israel and their connection to Jerusalem as its capital,"
"The 'charm Offensive' of a buffoon!" Politico/ here Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas continued his charm offensive in Washington after his White House meeting, attending a dinner with Jewish American leaders Wednesday night and addressing the Brookings Institution Thursday.... “Now, we’d like to reach a solution on two initial issues - borders and security,” Abbas told the Brookings audience. Abbas said if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin. Netanyahu...

Mahmoud Abbas warns against lack of peace talk progress
Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, has warned that the lack of progress toward Middle East peace was eroding faith that a two-state solution could end the Israeli-Palestine conflict.

Armored Vehicle Experts: Reuters News Vehicle Not Hit By Israeli Missile
There has been quite a bit of debate in the blogosphere surrounding this story (note: link has been deactivated) of several days ago: An Israeli air strike hit a Reuters vehicle in Gaza City on Saturday, wounding two Journalists as they covered a Military incursion, doctors and residents said. One of the Palestinian Journalists, who worked for a local media organization, was seriously wounded. A cameraman working for Reuters was knocked unconscious in the air strike, one of several in the...

White House urges Israel to ease blockade
Mahmoud Abbas and Barack Obama on Wednesday. Washington: The US President, Barack Obama, has called for a ''new conceptual framework'' to replace Israel's Blockade of the Gaza Strip, saying that the effort should be narrowed to focus only on arms shipments. A new Blockade could target weapons, ''rather than focusing in a blanket way on stopping everything and then, in a piecemeal way, allowing things into Gaza,'' Mr Obama said. The comments, after a White House meeting on Wednesday with the...

Obama" Hey, you know what Hamas needs? $400 Million US Taxpayer Dollars, that's what!
Spread it! Share Email This Cause you know, we got plenty of money laying around to be funding terror Organizations, but hey, the ONE says the situation is “unsustainable” in Gaza yet hasn’t uttered a word about the unsustainable US Debt. NY Daily News President Obama pledged $400 million on Wednesday to help Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas provide fresh water and shelter to People in the increasingly “unsustainable” Gaza Strip. “It is important...

Tomgram: Juan Cole, Israelapos;s Gift to Iranapos;s Hardliners
And there was more. The piece quoted an unnamed "Pentagon official with knowledge of General Petraeus's order" saying, "The Defense Department can't be caught flat-footed" -- in the event, that is, "that President Obama ever authorizes a strike [on Iran]." In fact, this sort of thing is little better than a Poison Pill for that country's Dissident Green Movement, reinforcing the claims Iranian hardliners find it so convenient to make -- that some reformist elements are proxies for foreigners,...

Blog: Western liberals help radicalize Turkey
Israel and Turkey had been considered regional allies since the two signed a Military cooperation accord in 1998. Israeli companies upgraded Turkish fighters and tanks. Ankara ordered rockets, electronic equipment, and unmanned Aircraft from Israel. Armament sales accounted for over half of Israeli-Turkish trade. Other forms of Military cooperation have included Israel's use of Turkish Airspace for training and the conduct of joint naval exercises. Both countries considered Iran and...

Why Don't They Talk About Ramallah?
A friend writes: You might not have time to read the Travel section of the Sunday Times , but the story on page 13 of Sunday’s edition highlights a problem for the Palestinian Authority. The article makes clear that Ramallah , the PA’s effective capital, is a hip town with all kinds of exciting nightlife and restaurant choices. Hmm. Hardly squares with the beleaguered, impoverished, starving, besieged Palestinian-refugee narrative the Western media have been feeding us. Salaam...

Flotilla Fallout Hits Madrid's Gay Pride Parade
Cultural and international politics collided this week after a contingent of Israeli Gays from Tel Aviv were pointedly barred from participating in an upcoming Gay Pride march because their home city’s officials haven’t condemned last month’s Flotilla Raid near Gaza. A spokesperson for the city of Tel Aviv gives his displeased response after the jump.  —KA The Guardian: “After what has happened, and as Human Rights campaigners, it seemed barbaric to us to...

Rep. Mike Pence Has a Question for the President
**Written by guest-blogger Doug Powers In light of the fact that all problems are solved in the United States and our Debt and spending are under control, President Obama yesterday pledged $400 million in U.S. aid to the Palestinian territories. The money was pledged during a meeting between Obama and Mahmoud Abbas. Obama said he would not meet with the CEO of BP because “he's going to say all the right things to me, I'm not interested in words, I'm interested in...

New Approach Sought as Pressure Grows to End Gaza Embargo
Gaza — Three years after Israel and Egypt imposed an embargo on this tormented Palestinian strip, shutting down its economy, a consensus has emerged that the attempt to weaken the governing party, Hamas , and drive it from power has failed. In the days since an Israeli naval takeover of a Flotilla trying to break the siege turned deadly, that consensus has taken on added urgency, with world powers, anti-Hamas Palestinians in Gaza and some senior Israeli officials advocating a...

How Israel Can Win the PR War: Ambassador Oren on Colbert
Last night, Israel's Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren went on The Colbert Report. This was a risky move-Colbert's wit is unmatched and his ability to pose a tough question in the form of a joke is enough to make anyone sweat. But, Ambassador Oren came out on top, introduced facts about the Flotilla controversy that I'm sure many members of Colbert's audience weren't aware of. Watch the video below: The Colbert Report Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c Formidable Opponent...

Obama Goes with Neocon Flow on Iran
Whether wittingly or witlessly, President Barack Obama is pursuing a neocon-charted path on Iran that parallels the one that George W. Bush took to War with Iraq - ratcheting up sanctions against the "enemy," refusing to tolerate more peaceful options, and swaggering along with the propagandistic tough-guy-ism of the major U.S. news media. The Obama Administration is celebrating its victory in getting the UN Security Council on Wednesday to approve a fourth round of Economic Sanctions...

Israel plans to send bill to Palestinians over boycotts
What do The Pixies, Elvis Costello, and Salam Fayyad, Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, have in common? A cursory glance might suggest not much yet all have deeply irked Israel. When Mr Fayyad first embarked on a door-to-door campaign to persuade Palestinians to shun all products made by Jewish settlers, the Israeli public simply shrugged. But when Veteran crooner Costello peered into his conscience and pulled a scheduled appearance in Tel Aviv, Israelis sat up and took notice. ...

The Best J Street Can Do?
You will recall this magnificent performance by Alan Dershowitz in chewing out Hadar Susskind of J Street.

Does Foreign Aid Fuel Palestinian Violence?
On December 17, 2007, eighty-seven countries and international organizations met in Paris and pledged to provide $7.4 Billion over three years to the Palestinian Authority [1] (PA), an amount far in excess of any previous level of U.S. or European Aid to the Palestinians. The conference participants justified the Aid as a means of providing "immediate support to the entire Palestinian population," [2] and as a reward intended to strengthen those Palestinians who favor peaceful coexistence...

Obama to meet BP Chairman at White House June 16
Washington June 10 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and senior administration officials will meet BP Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg next Wednesday, the White House announced on Thursday. (Reporting by Jeff Mason and Steve Holland )

Abbas Dines with American Jewish Leaders
Ben Smith has the details of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's unusual dinner with Jewish-American politicos last night. Guests included Elliot Abrams, Sandy Berger, and Stephen Hadley, along with reps from both AIPAC and J Street. Abbas reassured the leaders that he — unlike Hamas — recognizes Israel's right to most of its territory. "The leader of the Palestinian people telling the American Jewish community that the only solution to the conflict is two States living...