The Canadian Jewish News this week published a large excerpt of President Obama's speech in Cairo. Like many a good politician, he promises everything to everyone. I have not yet managed to sit through his full speech (I'm working my way through it slowly), but in the end words don't matter. When he says that Israel must halt settlement activity, does no really mean no? To previous presidents, a public no often meant a private yes.
More critically, what will Netanyahu do? The op-ed piece from Ha-Aretz that the CJN published opposite the Obama excerpt wasn't optimistic. According to the writer, Bibi wants to continue the "natural growth" of existing settlements; Bibi is further away from Mahmoud Abbas than Olmert or Livni; and Bibi shows no real interest in a settlement with Syria. It's hard to know how accurate these assertions are. I look forward to browsing jpost online for another view.
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