US President Barack Obama came to power with a promise that his primary objective will be achieving peace in the Middle East. Now as his seventh year in office is coming to an end he declares that peace is remote. Of course, what he couldn't achieve during seven years, is impossible to expect in the next year – the last year of his presidency.

 

Obama's statements on Middle Eastern peace were made during a dialogue with his Israeli counterpart, Reuven Rivlin. He explained his assessment by stressing his country's  commitment to Israel's security. He condemned what he called "violence and incitement." He also confirmed that he discussed with the Israeli president how can Washington help Israel to contain Palestinians. Such statements underlying that peace is not on the horizon, are only holding Palestinians accountable for Israeli atrocities.

 

According to Obama, Palestinian issue has two dimensions. First, is Israel's endangered security — where Palestinians, who throw stones at well armed Israeli soldiers, are a serious threat. Second is the Palestinians’ rejection of Israeli violations, which cause incitement. He referred to this Palestinian protest as "provocative."

 

The problem, according to Obama, is not in the decades long occupation,  which has been outrageously violating the international law. Furthermore, US  President doesn't think that there is a problem with the soldiers, who are heavily armed with the best American weapons, which they use to kill Palestinian children. According to Obama, the problem is in the Palestinian kids who throw stones at the people who occupy their land practicing all sorts of atrocious oppressions against them. That is exactly the image which the US president wanted to convey to the American people, to the whole world, and even to Palestinians themselves.

 

This view of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which Washington supports conveys to the rest of the world, reflects US foreign policy. Israel's security requires more qualitative  weapons to face the "threats of Palestinians." Furthermore, it requires adding more pressure on the  Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, to perform his "duties," as seen by the US and Israel.

 

 

Israel's security also forces US administration to block Palestinians’ attempts to take its case to the UN. This has been going on for the past seven years. This is what Reuven Rivlin has expressed, when he thanked Obama for supporting Israel throughout the past seven years and for his fight against the extremists – referring to Palestinians. The dialogue of the two presidents reveals the real picture, and calls for consideration by those who do not live in these illusions.