President Barack Obama will go to Israel in March, the White
House said on Tuesday, marking his first visit to the staunch US ally since
becoming president. While in the region, Obama will make stops in the West Bank
and Jordan.
Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
discussed the visit to Israel in late January, when Obama congratulated
Netanyahu on his success in Israel's recent election. The White House has not
released the date of Obama's trip or details about Obama's itinerary, but Israel's
Channel 10 reported that the trip had been scheduled for 20 March.
"The start of the president's second term and the
formation of a new Israeli government offer the opportunity to reaffirm the
deep and enduring bonds between the United States and Israel and to discuss the
way forward on a broad range of issues of mutual concern, including Iran and
Syria," said National Security Council Spokesperson Tommy Vietor.
White House spokesperson Jay Carney said Obama would work
closely with Palestinian Authority and Jordanian officials on regional issues
during his visit to Jordan and the West Bank.
Obama's trip to Israel, coming shortly after the start of
his second term, could offer an opportunity to repair a notoriously strained
relationship with Netanyahu. But the trip is almost certain to raise
expectations for the type of peace initiative that eluded Obama and his foreign
policy team during his first four years in office.
Obama has in the past warned against setting expectations
too high for a breakthrough in stalled negotiations between Israelis and
Palestinians.
Improving image
Although Obama visited Israel and Jordan while running for
president in 2008, he hasn't been back since, drawing intense criticism from
some pro-Israel groups who have claimed he is insufficiently supportive of the
United States' closest Mideast ally.
Other top administration officials, including former
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, have visited, and Clinton's replacement,
John Kerry, is expected to travel to Israel on his first Mideast trip.
For Obama, the trip might also be a chance to improve his
image within Israel, where many view him as not supportive enough of the Jewish
state.
Netanyahu's office in Jerusalem had no immediate comment on
the report of Obama's visit. Hanan Ashrawi, a senior official with the
Palestine Liberation Organisation, said the visit was important given Obama's
expressed interest in playing a role in Mideast peace efforts.
"We hope that this is more than just a symbolic visit,
but with a clear message and clear commitment to the genuine substance and
imperative of peace," Ashrawi said.
The announcement of Obama's visit comes at a time of
uncertainty for Netanyahu who emerged weakened from January's election but will
remain in charge if he can build a governing coalition before the mid-March
deadline.
Long time in the making
The emergence of a new centrist party in Israel's election
offered hope to those urging the hawkish Netanyahu to make peace with the
Palestinians a higher priority.
Negotiations have remained frozen during Netanyahu's
previous four-year term, in part because of Israeli settlement construction in
the West Bank and east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians claim for their future
state.
Obama's upcoming trip was a long time in the making. In
July, when Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney was hammering Obama on
Israel, Obama's campaign said that if he were re-elected, he would visit Israel
during his second term.
Then Romney himself made the trip, where Netanyahu hosted
Romney as if he were already a world leader. Netanyahu denied backing either
candidate but was widely perceived as preferring Romney.
But the tenuous chemistry between Obama and Netanyahu was
clear from early in Obama's first term. On one visit to Washington, the
US-educated Netanyahu appeared to lecture Obama on the pitfalls of peacemaking,
and gave a speech to Congress in which he appeared to be rallying support
against Obama.
For Obama, starting his second term out on firmer ground
with his Israeli counterpart could also make it easier to co-ordinate on a
number of pressing regional issues of critical concern to both nations. These
include Iran's nuclear programme and Syria's ongoing civil war, plus lingering
questions about what kind of partner Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi will be
in efforts to bring stability to the region.
"Obama knows that he's going to have a lot of
conversations with Netanyahu this year," said David Makovsky of the
Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "Those conversations will be
easier conversations if Obama connects with the Israeli public and demonstrates
what he believes, which is that he has their back."
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