New Hope For Middle East Peace?

Obama, left, met Mubarak in Cairo when he delivered his speech to the Muslim world in June [EPA]

Form Al Jazeera:

Barack Obama will try to re-invigorate his push for a Middle East peace settlement as he hosts talks with Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, at the White House.

Before Tuesday's meeting with the US president, Mubarak held discussions with Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, and other senior officials on Monday.

Mubarak was supposed to have visited Washington earlier this year but postponed the trip because of the death of his grandson.

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My Comment: President Mubarak has a point .... the peace process is both substance and process .... there may be no substance yet, but there is a need to get the process moving. Will President Obama advance his peace plan earlier .... I guess we will see.

Egypt: Israeli Nukes 'Greatest Threat' To Security

Dimona is believed to be housing Israel's nuclear warheads. Photo from Press TV.

From The Jerusalem Post:

Western policies based on pressuring Iran to give up its nuclear program will fail because they disregard Israeli nuclear capabilities, which is "the first and greatest threat to security in the region," an Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Monday.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor categorically rejected that classification.

"If he can quote at least one occasion in which Israel has threatened any of its neighbors with the alleged nuclear weapon, then his statements would gain him credibility," Palmor said. "Unless he produces evidence to support his claims, these kinds of remarks are completely out of line."

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My Comment: Nothing new in this announcement .... this is all bread and circuses for the Arab street. But what is different is that this news is being made now .... weeks after Hezbollah agents were arrested in Egypt and accused of fostering terrorism.

It appears that the Egyptian Government is positioning itself as an alternative to both Israel and Iran in the eyes of public opinion. In a certain way they are hinting that as far as they are concerned .... both Iran and Israel come from the same cloth, and both are a threat to Middle Eastern peace.

Obama Redraws Middle East Policy

Photo: US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton signalled greater diplomatic efforts in the Middle East. Photo: KEVIN LAMARQUE/The Age

From The Age:

ON HIS third day in office, US President Barack Obama has dramatically shifted America's stance towards the Middle East conflict.

He has called on Israel to open its borders with Gaza to allow humanitarian aid and commerce to flow and said one of America's most talented negotiators would try to broker a more extensive peace in the troubled region.

Mr Obama also announced plans to close the contentious detention centre at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, within a year and to ban all forms of "enhanced interrogation" used by the CIA, branding them torture and contrary to American values.

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My Comment: The problem in the Middle East has always been the unwillingness from Islamic fundamentalists and their supporters to accept Israel as a viable state. Since this group represents the majority opinion in the region, President Obama can do all that he can to pressure Israel to make compromises, but Hamas, Hezbollah, the Muslim Brotherhoood, and all the rest .... on this fundamental point it is clear that will never agree to it.

President Obama and Sec. of State Clinton will try to work with the "moderates" .... but these moderates are few in number, and they do not have the support of the Arab street.

Clinton Says U.S. Must Not 'Give Up' On Mideast Peace

Hillary Clinton testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington during her confirmation hearing to become the next U.S. Secretary of State on Tuesday. (Yuri Gripas/Reuters)

From International Herald Tribune:

WASHINGTON: Secretary of State-designate Hillary Rodham Clinton signaled on Tuesday that the United States would try to increase its diplomatic contacts with Iran and Syria, and she declared that the vision of Israelis and Palestinians co-existing in peace and prosperity must not be abandoned.

Despite the "seemingly intractable problems" in the Middle East, "we cannot give up on peace," Senator Clinton said before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which is considering whether to confirm her selection as President-elect Barack Obama's top diplomat.

Clinton said America must recognize Israel's right to defend itself from Hamas rockets but cannot ignore the suffering of Palestinians citizens, as well as Israelis. "Real security for Israel, normal and positive relations with its neighbors" as well as genuine security for Palestinians must continue to be America's ideal, she said.

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My Comment: Her husband failed in this endeavor .... I guess she wants to one up her hubby. Form my point of view, I wish her the best of luck.