A Daily Analysis
By Marc Schulman

May 19, 2009-Netanyahu-Obama Meeting

It is a day after the meeting between Netanyahu and Obama and very little has leaked about the details of that meeting-- just a great deal of speculation. No explanation has been given for why the meeting went on so long, other than the possibility President Obama wished to try to develop as good a relationship as possible with Netanyahu. These are two men who each think very highly of their own ability to convince others of their rhetoric. Even the news conference looked like two people who were trying publically to convince the other. Look at the full video on the White House web site.

Israel is certainly in for a difficult period. Obama was clearly hoping to convince Netanyahu to make some concessions, at least to male some verbal promises. Unfortunately, Netanyahu was not able to do so. It should come as no surprise. Netanyahu has never been able to make the verbal concessions Obama wants. In 1995, when Rabin agreed to Oslo he judged that the Iranians would become the existential threat to Israel, and the only way to blunt that threat was to reach an agreement with the Palestinians. Unless Netanyahu learns that lesson, it is going to be very difficult to convince Obama to take the actions Israel needs. The meeting in Washington did not result in a breakthrough, nor a break-up, however it underscored the vast valley that exists between the Obama administration and the Netanyahu administration on many issues.