By Nicola Nasser**
The "unbreakable alliance," which will be confirmed by the
upcoming visit of President Barak Obama to
This "unbreakable alliance" will doom whatever hopes
remain during Obama's visit for the revival of the U.S. - sponsored deadlocked
"peace process," on the resumption of which depends the very survival of
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' leadership, and explains as well the Palestinian
frustration, low expectations, unenthusiastic welcome and the absence of
celebrations for their most cherished among world celebrities, in a stark contrast
to the euphoria that is sweeping Israel in waiting for what the U.S. and
Israeli officials are describing as an "historic" visit.
On February 19,
the Israeli Prime Minister's Office released the official blue, red and white logo that will be on all documents and signs during Obama's visit
late in March. The logo shows the words "Unbreakable
Alliance" written in English and Hebrew under a combined Israeli and
During his visit, Obama will
become the first ever serving U.S. president to receive Israel's presidential
medal to honor the fact that he has " established the closest working military
and intelligence relationship with Israel in the country's history: Joint
exercises and training, increased security assistance every year, unprecedented
advanced technology transfers, doubling of funding for Israel's missile defense
system, and assistance in funding for the Iron Dome system," according to Steven L. Spiegel in Huffington
Post late
last year.
Speaking exclusively to RFI
Hanan Ashrawi, the Palestinian veteran peace negotiator and member of the
executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Israel's
partner in signing the defunct Oslo peace accords, said the first -- term Obama
administration "have just managed to buy more time for Israel" to "create facts
on the (Israeli -- occupied Palestinian) ground."
" Our experience has
been really tragic with this American administration," which "started with such
high hopes and tremendous promises," but "they backed down so quickly it was
incredible," she added, to conclude: "The
Therefore, " there are no plans to celebrate" Obama's visit to Ramallah, because
"they haven't forgotten the part he played" in aborting the PLO's efforts in
2011 to win the United Nations' recognition of Palestine statehood as a full
member and in opposing its UN recognition as a non -- member observer state the next
year, according to Shlomi Eldar in Al-Monitor on February 14. Still, to make a
bad situation worse, Obama will convey the same message to Abbas during his
upcoming visit, because "our position has not changed" neither to Palestinian
statehood nor to Palestinian national reconciliation according to U.S.
State Department spokeswoman Olivia Nuland on February 19.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).