In the last week and a half Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has visited President Mubarak of Egypt and King Abdullah of Jordan for consultations before his summit with President Obama next week in Washington. Ponder on that for a moment and then somebody tell me the last time that happened.
For some reason, I really don't think it is indicative of a functional U. S. Mideast foreign policy. Despite the headline grabbing Palestinian problem, none of the principals in the talks appear to be ready to significantly change their demands on any of the critical issues facing a settlement of that dispute. That leaves the only other obvious topic, Iran.
It is obvious that the path the Obama administration has chosen regarding Iran is causing extreme concern among friendly governments in the Middle East. I think both Prime Minister Netanyahu next week and President Mubarak after that will be trying to convince President Obama to change U. S. foreign policy in the Middle East, at least as it pertains to Iran. President Obama should listen to their advice. If we continue on the road we are following, the potential for irrepairable damage to our Middle East foreign policy is likely.
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