I don't know how much credence to give this, but it surely does make me hope.
MJ Rosenberg, the Washington Director of Policy Analysis for the Israeli Policy Forum, posted this two days ago. In it, he writes:
Yedioth Achronoth, the largest circulation daily in Israel, reports today that President Obama intends to see the two-state solution signed, sealed and delivered during his first term.
Rahm Emanuel told an (unnamed) Jewish leader; "In the next four years there is going to be a permanent status arrangement between Israel and the Palestinians on the basis of two states for two peoples, and it doesn't matter to us at all who is prime minister."
Well that sounds like Rahm, and I've often thought that "only Rahm could go to Israel," but the attribution is kind of sketchy.
Then there is this:
He also said that the United States will exert pressure to see that deal is put into place."Any treatment of the Iranian nuclear problem will be contingent upon progress in the negotiations and an Israeli withdrawal from West Bank territory," the paper reports Emanuel as saying. In other words, US sympathy for Israel's position vis a vis Iran depends on Israel's willingness to live up to its commitment to get out of the West Bank and permit the establishment of a Palestinian state there, in Gaza, and East Jerusalem.
Now before everyone blows out an artery thinking this claims Obama is offering to bomb Iran in exchange for a Palestinian State, that's not what the quote says. In fact, it is just a little bit of carrot-and-stick activity that trades "progress in the negotiations" for "treatment" of the Iran nuclear problem, which includes "sympathy." If that is the case, then US sympathy for Israel's position sounds a long way off, and so Bibi's current saber-rattling and civilian defense exercises start to make sense to me. Seems like Bibi's trying to put pressure on Obama, since Obama doesn't want to play ball just yet. I don't think Bibi "gets" Obama yet...
Another interesting tidbit, and we'll see if it turns out to be true: Rosenberg says that Yedioth is reporting that Obama will not be meeting with Netanyahu in May, during the AIPAC conference in Washington. Rosenberg quoting Yedioth:
The meeting between the new Israeli premier and the president of the United States is perceived in Israel as a sign that the formation process of the new government has been completed and as a salutation by Israel's close friend. Netanyahu had hoped to capitalize on the opportunity and to meet with Obama during the annual AIPAC conference, but the Americans informed the Israelis that Obama was not going to be 'in town.'
Interesting....I hope it leads to some good.
So far, the Yedioth article is only in Hebrew, and I would love to read it in English if anyone finds it. It was written by respected Israeli journalist, Shimon Shiffer.