Hamas official: After the talk, can Obama walk the walk?

Most people across Muslim and Arab lands viewed President Obama’s speech in Cairo, Egypt, as "excellent," a spokesman for the hard-line Palestinian movement Hamas said. But the official, Ahmed Yousef, interviewed on CNN’s “American Morning” from Gaza City, said there’s a question on the street: Is the American president “ready to walk the way he talks” “This is the question,” said Yousef, the senior adviser for former Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya.

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Commentary: Does Obama want to change Israeli government?

President Obama has embarked on what could represent a radical departure in America’s Mideast policy, at least on settlements. WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Obama has embarked on what could represent a radical departure in America’s Mideast policy, at least on settlements. Having worked for Republican and Democratic administrations, I took it for granted that the current president and secretary of state would first try to invest in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before publicly confronting him.

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Middle East takes center stage as Obama, Abbas meet

The elusive search for a Middle East peace will be center stage Thursday as President Obama sits down with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The afternoon White House meeting comes one week after Obama met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and pressed the Israeli leader to halt West Bank settlement activity to create a better atmosphere for peace talks. It also comes only days before Obama is scheduled to meet with Saudi King Abdullah in Riyadh and deliver a long-awaited speech on relations between the United States and the Muslim world in Cairo, Egypt

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Can Obama Change the Game on Middle East Peace?

No one should have been surprised that there was no meeting of minds between President Barack Obama and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at their inaugural summit on Monday. Although the two men proclaimed a shared commitment to having Israelis and Palestinians live in peace, their views on how to get there remain substantially at odds. Now, as Obama puts the finishing touches on a new peace plan to be unveiled shortly — perhaps when he addresses the Muslim world from Cairo next month — the question facing the Administration is how to pursue its strategy with an unenthusiastic Israeli partner.

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The Six Issues That Divide Bibi from Barack

President Barack Obama welcomes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House, Monday, at a moment when the White House and the Israeli leadership are undeniably at odds over the path to Middle East peace. While the Obama Administration remains steadfastly committed to Israel’s security, its ideas on how to achieve that security differ markedly from those of the hawkish Netanyahu government

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Analysis: Hezbollah win could shake Obama Mideast policy

Since the moment Barack Obama took office, he has made a concerted effort to speak directly to the Muslim world. Even his inauguration address sent a new and different message from the United States: “To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect,” he said on January 20, standing in front of a changed nation

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