The Obama Administration’s response to protests against the Iranian regime’s contempt for even its own thin facade of democracy has been markedly muted and tentative; even the French Government has spoken out more clearly against the fraudulence of the presidential election and the mullahs’ suppression of the Iranian people than has President Obama. One conclusion we can draw from Obama’s failure to offer support for the Iranian people against their theocrat masters is that it eviscerates the entire point of his Cairo speech to the ‘Muslim world’.

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Though it falls outside his original target of being within 100 days of taking office, President Barack Obama is keeping a pre-inauguration promise by “mak[ing] a major speech from an Islamic capital” this week in Cairo, Egypt.

Obama made what was considered by many to be the safest (and most “obvious”) choice in selecting Cairo for his “high-profile speech that would seek to mend rifts between the United States and the broader Muslim world.” Unfortunately, by deciding to play it safe, a president whose life to this point has revolved around an obsession with being “historic” missed out on a truly historic opportunity.

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A simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ will do.

‘Obama committed to ejecting Jews from Judea-Samaria,’ says Abbas

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday told reporters in Cairo that he is convinced that US President Barack Obama is firmly committed to finally ejecting the Jews from Judea and Samaria.

Abbas spoke to the press after briefing Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on his visit to the White House late last week, during which Obama apparently agreed with his guest that existing Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria must not even be allowed to experience “natural growth.”

(Via Fausta) While I am willing to believe that there may have been either a breakdown in communications somewhere - or that yet another Palestinian leader is willfully never missing a chance to miss a chance - there needs to be some clarification on this issue. Israel is not going to even freeze settlements in the West Bank, let alone dismantle them.  Meanwhile, the Palestinians apparently expect that the settlements will be removed, because that’s what the USA has decided to do.  The two positions cannot be reconciled.  This really does need to be addressed: if the President goes to Cairo without everybody involved already knowing precisely where his administration stands on this issue, the President’s Cairo speech will fail.  And by ‘fail’ I mean ’start up another round of violence.’

Which will not be the President’s intent, but that won’t matter.

Moe Lane

Crossposted to Moe Lane.