Incompatible

They are closed door meetings — no photos, no questions, and practically cloistered. The meetings between Obama and Netanyahu have become their own shadow play. During their first tête-à-tête in Washington, things were already not going well. At their second meeting, we have been spared the phony camera smiles. On all accounts, there is a total incompatibility between the two men’s backgrounds, amplifying their lack of any common ground, personally and politically.

In Israel, some do not hesitate to fuel the fire by invoking the origins and past influences of the new president. Over in the Middle East, where every event resonates historically and geopolitics becomes convoluted, Obama’s youth is not an asset. Battle-tested and crafty, Netanyahu is perfectly aware of it. Thus the recent affront on the Obama administration (the announcement of settlements during Mr. Biden’s visit) changes this latest rapport of forces between two traditional allies into full crisis.

Yet, history shows that a “working” American-Israeli relationship (like Clinton-Rabin in its time) might restart the process and the prospects of peace in the region. Is the domestic victory that Obama has racked up (health reform) going to free him internationally? There remains two and a half years to bounce back and succeed with the other historic breakthrough expected from his term. But today, the general sentiment is planted rather firmly at its nadir.