ANALYSIS: Obama’s words worry Israel’s backers

ANALYSIS:

During a major address in Egypt on Thursday, President Obama reached out in friendship to Muslims around the world and distanced himself from Israeli policies more than any other president in decades.

Although Mr. Obama said the U.S. bond with Israel is “unbreakable,” analysts pointed to subtle but significant shifts in language that indicated that Mr. Obama was not in lock step with the Israeli government on issues including Iran and Palestinian grievances.

“This is a very different approach than other presidents have used,” said Lee H. Hamilton, president of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and co-chairman of the 2006 Iraq Study Group.

Mr. Obama won praise from many analysts, including Mr. Hamilton, for speaking out in Cairo against Muslims who deny the Holocaust or indulge in anti-Semitic behavior.

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But he also worried some Israel supporters by seeming to equate the Palestinian narrative of suffering after the founding of Israel in 1948 with the Jewish narrative of centuries of persecution that culminated in the Nazi massacre of 6 million Jews.

“For more than 60 years, [the Palestinians] have endured the pain of dislocation,” Mr. Obama said. “Many wait in refugee camps in the West Bank, Gaza and neighboring lands for a life of peace and security that they have never been able to lead. They endure the daily humiliations — large and small — that come with occupation.

“So let there be no doubt: The situation for the Palestinian people is intolerable. America will not turn our backs on the legitimate Palestinian aspiration for dignity, opportunity and a state of their own.”

Mr. Obama repeated his insistence that Israel stop adding to Jewish settlements in territory controlled by Arabs before 1967 — a break with the policies of the George W. Bush administration, which approved thickening of existing settlements. Although Mr. Obama called for Palestinians and other Muslims to end violence, he never used the word “terror” or “terrorism” to refer to their violent acts.

He also became the first U.S. president to acknowledge the U.S. role in a CIA coup that overthrew the prime minister of Iran in 1953.

Robert Malley, a senior official in the Clinton administration dealing with Arab-Israeli issues, said what struck him most was Mr. Obama’s equating of Israel and Palestinian aspirations for statehood.

“This is a recognition that the Palestinian plight did not begin in 1967 [when Israel captured the West Bank and Gaza],” said Mr. Malley, who now directs Middle East programs for the International Crisis Group. “There’s a human and political problem that began with the creation of the state of Israel” in 1948.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who was visiting Washington, praised the speech. “It is clear from the audience’s response how effectively and precisely his words were addressed,” he said.

In a written statement, Mr. Barak added: “It was a straightforward, significant and courageous address which outlined his vision and the universal values he wishes to share with the Muslim world. … We welcome the president’s commitment to the state of Israel’s security and his clear call to accept and integrate her into the region.”

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