Opinion
A president of words
Orly Azoulay
Published: 21.03.13, 18:18
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31 Talkbacks for this article
1. at least he is a good speaker
Larry ,   Los Angeles   (03.21.13)
2. Nonsense
J ,   Tel Aviv, Israel   (03.21.13)
It takes an American to come to to Israel to tell the Israeli's what needs to be done? Stop pointing the finger and expecting others to solve OUR problems--the ones we claim to be experts about!
3. Did Obama have a ghost writer in Dreams from my Father?
Michael ,   Moscow, USA   (03.21.13)
Bill Ayers wrote it. Prior to 1990, when Barack Obama contracted to write Dreams From My Father, he had written very close to nothing. As an undergraduate, Obama had written what he justifiably calls some “very bad poetry.” He published nothing under his own name in The Harvard Law Review, where he served as an editor and as president. And after leaving Harvard, he published nothing in its review or in any law journal.
4. At least he knows how to talk...
nu be'emet   (03.21.13)
as opposed to a few people in this country I can think of...
5. Right of return
Daniel ,   San Mateo, USA   (03.21.13)
There is no plan that anyone can offer that will work for the Palestinians. The "deal that everyone knows the shape of" requires that returnees would go into the future Palestinian state, not into Israel. There is no indication whatsoever that any Palestinian leaders will accept that. All this leaves aside, of course, that there is no one Palestinian leadership capable of closing a deal.
6. He can't win, so he should stop trying
Mark ,   Cleveland USA   (03.21.13)
If he suggests something that the Israelis don't like, he is a "secret Muslim". The Palestinians are protesting that he is in the pocket of the Israelis. Obama can't win, so why should he do anything? As long as Israelis elect Governments that show no interest in negotiating in good faith with anyone, and only seem to want to gobble up the west bank for settlement building,you should all stop complaining about other people and their lack of empathy for you. Israelis are in a situation of their own making.
7. the guy knows to write
abogom ,   US   (03.21.13)
Orly Azoulay knows to write, but the article does not make sense. What plan could Obama bring along that would be acceptable on the Palestinians? All he could do is to insist Israel makes more concessions - is that a peace plan?
8. A peace 'plan won't do the trick!
tiki ,   belgium   (03.21.13)
Obama didn't have to bring any plan because all scenario's have been tried and failed! He's not a magician and did the ONLY right thing.......talk about dreams & possibilities. As long as Arab Palestinians don't share these dreams but only the hate & destruction dream, send rockets and rejoice their victims, brainwash their children with hate & lies and worship martyrs as heroes, these dreams will never turn into possibilities. It's not for Obama to make peace, it's for the Arab Palestinians to desire it more than they want to destroy Israel.
9. In reply to #1 claim's Obama good speaker
Yisroel ,   USA   (03.21.13)
Yes Obama is a good speaker as long as the speech is written for him and he has a Teleprompter. When we unfortunately are treated to his extemporaneous remarks he is a disaster!
10. Orly Azoulay - provincial and clueless
Ehud   (03.21.13)
Barack Obama is not a petty Israeli politician, but the President of the US. He cannot lay out a peace plan instead of the Israeli PM. The perimeter is clear since Clinton and has been reaffirmed by Obama. Alon had a plan, Rabin had a plan, Olmert had a plan. It is for Netanyahu to come up with a plan. The US is not Israel's nanny, and Obama understands it. Too bad Orly Azoulay does"t!
11. Plan to Manage Conflict
Bear Klein ,   Calif. USA   (03.21.13)
The best plan in a non perfect world is by Naftali Bennett. Annex 60% of West Bank and the PA gets autonomy under Israeli military security in the Area A & B of the West Bank. http://www.onestateisrael.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/The-Israel-Stability-Initiative-Naftali-Bennett.pdf
12. You Want Peace - You Have to Make It
Mark of Lewiston ,   USA   (03.21.13)
There is no American plan. If Israelis want peace, Israelis have to figure out how to make it with Palestinians. The US cannot do that for you. Same message to the Palestinians.
13. Visit is a drain on US Taxpayers
ASTROANUT ,   SC, USA   (03.21.13)
$$$$$' and nothing more: A hyped-up, photo-op, circle-jerk. The ONLY ones to forge peace are the ISRAELIS and the PALESTINIANS. Face-to-face, without the interference and sweet-talk of secretaries, missionaries, or politicians who are NON-natives of either Israel or Gaza. Baruch HaShem
14. Life would be less Interesting
Zechariah   (03.21.13)
Without good human interactions and speeches life would be less interesting .A good Public Speaker is an art form and People generally like Gabbling tho the Rabbis lauded Silence.Speech is Silver Silence(mitzvot and good deeds )are Golden .Obama is clearly a Good and clever Person but he has made bungles and is abit too Niave.
15. To: Michael at No. 3
Sarah B ,   U.S.A. / Israel   (03.22.13)
Correction: Obama did not serve as an editor of the Harvard Law Review. He did serve as "president," and was elected by the student body (it's a position every serious law student disdains). Basically, his job was to order the pizza for the editors of the Harvard Law Review. You are correct that he has never published anything of a legal nature. Writing is not his forte. Amazing what good speech-writers and a teleprompter will do for you. Remember the debates? Where he did not know the questions in advance and there was no teleprompter? Speaking is not his forte, either.
16. don't worry orly,
(03.22.13)
this buffoon who has no clue about the economy or the geopolitical maps HAS TALKED HIS HEAD OFF IN THE USA AS WELL AND BORUGH ONLY DISASTER AND ECONOMIC COLLAPSE TO OUR COUNTRY. israelis will be smart to consider the source and pay no attention whatsoever to this clueless miscreant.
17. Have you seen this little-bit of news?!!!
Jake Stone ,   USA   (03.21.13)
Obama’s Middle East Map Erases Israeli Territory The map of the Middle East displayed in an Obama administration video released days before President Barack Obama’s visit to Israel shows the Jewish state dispossessed of substantial parts of its current territory, including its capital. The map of Israel, displayed repeatedly during the video, shows the Golan Heights, Jerusalem, northern Israel, and areas surrounding what are currently the West Bank as non-Israeli territory. The Golan Heights is shown as part of Syria; Jerusalem is shown as part of the West Bank; and northern Israel is shown as part of Lebanon. The itinerary on the White House website also implies that Jerusalem is neither Israel’s capital nor even part of Israel. The president’s schedule lists two stops in “Tel Aviv, Israel” and one in “Amman, Jordan” but his activities in Israel’s capital city are identified as taking place only in “Jerusalem” — with no country name attached. This keeps with a reluctantly-acknowledged administration policy of denying that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital or even a part of Israel.
18. 6
(03.22.13)
as long as the palestinians do not drop their insistence that 6-7 million "arab refugees" go straight into israel and not into the new palestinian state, there is nothing to talk about. if one creates a state for its people, it is only natural that all its refugees go straight to that new state. but, the reasons why mahmood abbas insists that all 6-7 million palestinians around the world MUST GO INTO ISRAEL AND N OT INTO THE NEW PALESTINIAN STATE, is unsolvable. israel is n ot going to committ suicide and change its jewish character and being a refuge or jews and create an islamic state instead right in israel. also, in gaza, hamas rules and they do not accept peace with israel or recognize israel's right to exist. so, who does israel we make a deal with? if gaza is separately ruled by hamas and west bank by abbas, hwich one will be the palestinian state. don;t these tow factions and governments have to speak with one voice before negotiations start? if there is a breakdown and palestinians have two govenrments rulling two different territories, who does israel make peace with? no arab ruler or any palestinian govenrment or leader will ever give up the right of return of 6-7 million arabs into israel. no one! so, what would you do? it's easy to blame israel, but it is much more complicated than your simple rant. hameed aboughaze, iranian
19. Obama's Words
Vinny Joy ,   fort knox, ky   (03.22.13)
Simply stated, I agree completely with this Op-Ed article.
20. Dream or Delusion?
Yoel Larry ,   New York USA   (03.22.13)
In time this dream of Two States has become a delusion, an unhealthy one if you are a small Jewish State trying to survive a sea of sharks. Those Jews still clinging to the premise of a Palestinian State in the Jewish heartland, voided years ago by some thousands of rocket attacks from Gaza and South Lebanon can only be described as needing urgent psychiatric evaluation lest they push the Jewish State into certain national suicide besides There is a Palestinian State already; East of the Jordan River.
21. the plan has already been proposed
Mira ,   nyc   (03.22.13)
Everyone knows what the end result must look like: Barak proposed it to Arafat in 2000, and Olmert proposed basically the same thing again to Abbas in 2008. We know which side is refusing. There is nothing that Obama can add to this.
22. #6. You REALLY think the Arabs negotiate "in good faith"?
Harry Wright ,   UK   (03.22.13)
They don't know the meaning of good faith. Have you EVER seen a Fakestinian map of the territory? There is no Israel on it anywhere, from the river to the sea. And that's before they even have a state. Israel is already wiped out on paper...and you talk about good faith?
23. (17) Jack Stone
tiki ,   belgium   (03.22.13)
Saw the decapitated State of Israel, so I wonder....."where did Obama & his entourage sleep? How are they going to explain that, I wonder.
24. I feel sae way about Bibi
א ,   Tel Aviv, Israel   (03.22.13)
And just about all Israeli politicians over the past 25 years: all talk, no action or plan. Soon there will be more Arabs than Jews between the Jordan and Mediterranean: then what???
25. President Obama's Visit to Israel
ltrail ,   United States   (03.23.13)
Sorry, my bad. But I believe that President Obama is just full of words; that's it. No real empathy with israel's problems or needs. I give him a three out of ten for his attempt to embrace the State of Israel.
26. A president of words
Robert Cabitt ,   Boston, MA, USA   (03.23.13)
The most popular U.S. presiidents have been excellent con artists, speakers such as Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama.
27. To All Commentators
Harold ,   USA   (03.23.13)
Presdient Obama will solve the Middle East 45 years problems. Once he said I WILL DO WHAT I PROMISED TO DO. Moreover the world and specially the EU wants him to do what he promised to do.
28. #27. Obama can't solve anything. He is a destroyer.
Chaim ,   Israel   (03.24.13)
America is worse off in virtually every respect since Obama was inaugurated. Obama can't solve anything. He is a destroyer. The great great great great great...grandchildren of contemporary Israelis will flourish throughout Judea and Samaria long after Obama is nothing but a bitter memory of the worst U.S. President ever.
29. global solutions
Zsolt ,   Wanganui,NZ   (03.25.13)
I agree that the President only talked without offering any plans. But this is not surprising, if we look at the global crisis from Europe to the US, from China to Russia, regarding economics, financial institutions, geo-political conflicts, or even general social problems, today nobody has any meaningful solutions, and when somebody actually does something they make things worse. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a good, sharp example how the previous 2 dimensional, fragmented, polarized thinking creates an unsolvable problem. There exists no two-state solution without taking into consideration all the Arabic countries, their stance against Israel and their serious conflicts with each other, the viewpoint of all their international supporters, the global energy map, the global crisis, and so on. Today in this global, interconnected world only truly global and mutually responsible solutions exist, with the agreement and participation of all countries. Of course it is difficult and nobody in leading positions have the know-how and tools for such agreements, decision making. So they resort to empty games and theatre. We need a completely new attitude, new understanding of the interdependent world, new methods, and a brand new start, looking at the world as a single, mutual, integral system, not just a collection of individuals and nations, who are either "friends" or "enemies" of each other depending on how their actual selfish interests dictate.
30. to no. 12
JtC ,   Jhb / Nir Eliyahu   (03.25.13)
There IS an American plan - what you do is kill of the Arabs, then you don't need to worry about making peace with them, kinda like the native Americans...That's why USA doesn't know how to make peace.
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