March 30th, 2009 by Cecile

At the Huffington Post John Esposito questions if President Obama’s strategy toward the Middle East really represents a significant shift in American foreign policy, suggesting “thus far, Obama’s track record is mixed.” Some fresh moves such as the appointment of George Mitchell and closing of Guantanamo were followed by the not-so-new smear tactics against Chas Freeman. Esposito argues that Obama’s silence on this issue along with his silence on the Gaza war “have much broader implications for Obama’s credibility in forging his new way forward in relations with the Muslim world.” While the closing of Guantanamo is an important step in overcoming America’s credibility gap in the Middle East, the true test will be Obama’s efforts toward Israeli-Palestinian peace.

Esposito adovocates that in forging a policy aimed at a true shift in direction, Obama must be willing to “meet, listen and work with all major players in Palestine, not just Fatah and Israel but also Hamas, a leadership chosen by the Palestinians in free and fair democratic elections in 2006.”

Posted in Hamas, Israel, Palestine, US foreign policy |