Obama has betrayed mission to forge Mideast peace

How painful it is to hear Gideon Levy's vicious slander against Israel and its citizens. It is time that those of us who understand what is being overlooked speak out. Adam, the book of Genesis (3:24) details, was kept from reaching the tree of life by "a flaming sword which turned every way." However the malevolent, ever-turning factory of lies that is being manufactured daily by Israel's self-appointed intelligentsia, only serves to keep hidden the tree of lies that is blooming in Israel's central (Tel Aviv) region. It is up to the silent minority of Jews to break through that barrier and uproot this poisonous tree of self-hatred. The Anti-Self Defamation League www.asdl.biz

no further comment.

Michael Dar, Don't make me laugh--why should any Palestinian on two feet accept Israel's facts on the ground when they represent nothing but fiction. (see URL) It's too bad the IAF & IDF didn't destroy them in Operation Cast Lead as it would have all been perfectly legal. I repeat this -perfectly legal! Fourteen justices at the ICJ ruled unanimously in 2004 they must be "void". So you can see how the army has screwed up Big TIME by hitting the wrong targets. Denial is a terrible things. It's isn't anything to build a sound future or indeed to raise a healthy family on. Dutch ( http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/22/opinion/22judt.html )

"Negotiations with Iran, a handshake with Hugo Chavez, openness toward Cuba, tolerance toward North Korea and the cancellation of the missile shield in Eastern Europe." writes GL. Is that Obama's peace achievements? Siding with dictators, opposing & defying his own country interests, letting Poland & Tchechoslovaquia open to missiles attacks. Making peace with the Mafia does not change the Mafia, it makes them bolder. The Nobel prize election committee members are made of the same cloth than Obama, that's why they selected him, not for his achievements but for his extreme left methods & speechs.

For perhaps the first time ever, I find myself in agreement with Gidon Levy's opinion!

Nearly 60 million of us were not fooled by this guy, but since you love him so much-- you got what you wanted--now deal with it. You should have been more careful about what you wished for. Israel will be a very sore loser when Obama gets through with you. Don't say we didn't try to warn you either.

Why is everyone do concerned about the so-called delay in the peace process? Israel needs about two years to complete the fence/barrier/wall in order to encompass that which we want to keep. After that it is just a "pro-forma" signing of an agreement between us and the PALS. This has been relatively well publicized and known by all. Arafat missed an opportunity more than ten years ago in Washington when he turned down 95% of what the PALS wanted, including their share of Jerusalem as a capital. That train will never pull into the station again, not with Netanyahu and they might as well get used to it and sign on the dotted line. Remember: "Facts on the ground". Shalom to all who want and love peace.

It is frustrating but it is also reality. There is only so much that one man, even one with Obama's obvious skills, can do all at once. I think the Nobel committee sensed the armies of the night banding against Obama and wanted to give some backing. Let's not condemn them for that. And yes, Obama has accomplished something in the middle east already: he has exposed the backward and greedy policies of Israel and its settlements for what they are--rigid, mendacious efforts to bleed the life from another people.

Obama, of whom I am a huge fan, has so far apparently pushed hard for Israel and Palestinians to talk and progress on their own terms. Am sure he knows that this will get nowhere, but he needed to try as a first step- arguably putting too much importance on the settlements. He now needs to outline in some detail what a final status arrangement should be in his- and the USA's- official opinion. This will be the test of his and Israel's nerve, as clearly a fair deal is not what Israel has in mind

Gideon is spot on ! Obama is so intent on saving the planned "peace process" that he is caving in on everything else. He is badly deluding himself. He urgently needs an education on rightwing Israeli machinations. He has given up on everyting but the "peace proces" will be the usual same old same old smoke and mirrors. Obama voter

"we here, sweating and bleeding, were overjoyed with barack obama's election...-black, eloquent, enchanting, striking and promising. many an eye welled with tears...."

...Sittizen, are you for real? Since when have you been so interested in universal human rights. Israelis have human rights and human obligations like eveyone else. As for the Palestinians, they didn't just come along - they were there long before you and your European friends.

Gideon Levy has done it again. Nothing is good enough for him, but he is lucky that he is right for the wrong reasons. In the year that Gorbachov recieved the prize, he mowed down three thousand Georgians in Tblisi--so much for a lover of peace. Peres regularly referred to the people who died during the bombs in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as the "sacrifices for peace"--some sacrifices, some peace. Or, if you will, Rabin who told his soldiers "break their bones", the Arabs, of course, and the Jews who opposed him after Oslo. What can I tell ya' Except for the Dalai Lama, whom Obama avoids on account of the "Chinese dollars" that the US is owing for the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, not to mention the bases in the Caucasus, as well as the other genuine people who promote peace, the pols who get the prize might talk the talk, but they don't always walk the walk.

Dear Gideon, I have spent many many hours defending your work to people all over the world.This is the first time I can not agree with you .President Obama does deservr the Nobel just for the very fact he has started a creative process and changed the way many nations think.This was already a tall order after the last ruinous 8 years.Israel is not the center of the world and G-D himself could not bring peace to this insane country.We are not yet over the trauma of the Shoah ,it will take at least another generation to lose the paranoia and until then we will not be able to even stand the whiff of an out of the box solution.Gideon you are stuck in your world view and have ceased to be objective to all sides,as was I.Old hippies never age gracefully Gideon ,please open your self to receive other opinions.A long time admirer who would like to remain so,L Fux

When you speak of human rights you seem to forget that when the Palestinians were driven from their homes in 1948 and 1967 and not allowed to return in spite of UN resolutions they were denied their human rights. So why should you expect Palestinians to respect the human rights of Israelis? Lets look at who drove who out of their homeland without any respect for the human rights of those who were on the land before we decided to "return."

Dear Gideon, I usually agree with you, but this time you are being too impatient. The answer to your argument is in the article itself: "Obama now needs to choose whether to join the laureates-in-vain - from Henry Kissinger to Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres and Yasser Arafat - or join the great ones, like Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela, Mikhail Gorbachev, Aung San Suu Kyi and Mother Teresa." Making him wish to become one of the great laureates will be a motivation for him to do the right thing. If he doesn't get there, it won't be the first time a Nobel peace prize is wasted. That's how I see it: this time the committee used its prize not as a prize, but as a way of trying to influence future outcomes. Hopefully their gesture will have a positive impact on world peace. Best regards, Severino.

The zionist regime is a product of the evil judeo-christian western (JCW) regime. While everyone else is rejoicing over the fall of JCW with the rise of Obama, the zionists are whining and weeping.

I don't know many Americans who would be proud of you, certainly not those many who risk their lives to trying to keep the USA free of Arab/Islamic terrorists. Amazing you didn't noticed that in her obsessive pursue of peace it is Israel who does all the giving. The Arabs strictly nothing! So spear us the bull..!

Obama, why are you bombing the Moon instead of peacefull negotiations with the Moon?

Closed Guantanamo, banned torture in CIA, reduced tensions with Russia, started the process of withdrawal from Iraq, brought dignity to colored people, gave a blow to racism, ....... all this is not enough for you? Obama is systematically distancing US from Israel, and at the same time narrowing the distance with the muslim world. There will soon be peace in the ME.

The man is at war more than one place,and some new war is on the door step.At the same time he has to forge peace in the ME,how ironic. His generals wants him to "forge"extra troops for war in Afghanistan=forge Afghan war. And we want him to forge ME peace.

"They could begin by taking Hamas off the terrorist list"only hamas?no ETA,or Al-Qaida? So your terrorist are terrorist but others are not,typical Dutch.

I don't blame him.Just thinking of what he is facing home and abroad can make one dizzy. It is time to lay the priorties right. There is health care and unemployment,big problems.There is Afghanistan and the danger of Pakistan.There is Iraq,Iran,and NK. It is not his fault that people thought he can achieve those goals.He actually never said he will accomplish any,only his intentions. Now reality hit them in the face.no you can't!!

There is nothing wrong with Obama getting the Nobel prize. There is everything wrong with the Nobel institution. Arafat-yes.Gandhi-no.

I cannot help admiring Gideon Levy's steadfastness amid the storm of often biased or vile criticisms targetting him. There are villains in the Arab world and elsewhere but Gideon Levy never praises them. He constantly focuses on the best chances for an equitable peace in the Middle East.He does not side with a country or an ethnic group but is always on the side of justice. In other words he is a real independent thinker. It is Haaretz's honor to give him a chance to express his views and thus defend freedom of expression.

Levy seem to be in disagreement with the US's greatest political expert.They all seem to agree(as late as today on GSP CNN)that the most threatening to world peace is Pakistan,nit Iran,or NK,or the ME. I reckon that Levy wants Israel to be the center of the world(being israeli journalist) but it is not so.Sorry to disappoint you Levy!

"Israel needs a friend to save it from itself." I'm afraid, only Israelis and Jews can save themselves ... Americans: Look at the huge number of Christian Zionists and all the lobbying groups. It would be political suicide for Obama, to oppose them. Germans and Europeans: the Holocaust ... Here in Germany the whole political establishment and also the media - despite being deeply opposed to fascism, apartheid etc. - will always regard it as raison d'état, to give blind support to Israeli and Zionist establishment. Even Gods choosen ambassador can't do very much, because the truth is too complicated and hard to explain, nobody would believe him anyway, everyone would hate him and kill him immediately, so he prefers, to remain hidden, like the hidden Imam. I liked Avraham Burgs approach: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/avraham-burg-israels-new-prophet-979732.html

President Obama must put his words into deeds and cut off all aid to Israel: financial, military and political. Otherwise, Israel will never end its brutal occupation and oppression of the Palestinians, will continue to steal more land and water in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem while maintaining their starvation blockade of the Gaza Strip.The US must no longer support Israel's heinous mistreatment of the Palestinians.

Mr. Levi articulates the frustration of all of us who had high hopes for an end to the longest conflict of the 20th century. President Obama is like a Saturday Night Live sketch, it starts strong then it fizzles out. Whether it is due to Israel's arm twisting or his inexperience, expecting the two sides to resolve the problem on their own is a proven failed policy. The past 60 years proved that the two sides are unable to achieve that and a resolution by the international community MUST be imposed on both sides. This may not be the perfect solution, but it is one that will stop the hemmorage, once the cycle of violence and hatred is stopped, the two sides will learn to live in peace. Just like an arranged marriage, it may not be perfect, but it has a decent chance to succeed.

cracks me up. Levy's lost it for sure. He's almost as much fun as Obama getting the Nobel. He's also being nominated for the Heissman and just won a 70 million Lotto and only bought one ticket. LOL

Obama doesn't have the backbone to do much of anything. He's having too much fun as Precedent to do anything. As for Mitchell, he was always in the way of peace. I find it hysterically funny you haven't recognized that it is Bill Clinton's advisors and cabinet sitting on the Hill, not Obama's. We may as well have gotten Hillary for Pres. She would have done much better then the little kid pretending to be President of the US. LOL

Those who betrayed peace are the palestinians helped by arab & the islamic world. They don't want peace and they have not the courage to say that ! Their simple purpose is to hurt israel and the jews & the rest of the world after that. They never moved from the 7th century and their jihad have one purpose only; to win the fight in the 'war of religions'. No god worthy his name can ask for the killing of a human being in his name. Islam have been doing it all the time; killing in the name of god every day ! Obama like many others before him trying to 'change' the core of the practice of killing in the name of 'god' ! He can't but fail ! 2-state is not a solution of 'hate & religion'. That is the problem today !

The joke last night on the comedy show was that Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize for not being George Bush; and the character portraying Obama said he was not George Bush for nine months. I think people around the world are relieved not to have Bush as president any more. They saw in Obama someone who would change Bush policies; Bush is being blamed for the economic difficulties we are facing in the USA. Is he the blame for failed Lebanon War II or Cast Lead? Bibi calls himself a Republican. Obama is a Democrat. Would it help if Israel did not undermine Obama. I think there is no one there ready to cooperate with Obama. Is that his fault? He cannot force Israel to do things; just as they advise not to bomb Iran, can they really prevent any action Israel takes against their advice?

From what I have read, only your country (Israel)and Iraq are the only two coutnries whoses favorablity to America polling numbers decreased. Something like 12% or less of Israeli's like Obama and Obama's America; while European and Asian countries' favorablity rating zoar. For example from 11% to 90%. Obama reversed the "cowboy' diplomacy of Bush; and gave hope again. Sarkozy of France said: America is in our hearts again and she will lead the world again. It's hard for Israelis to understand that fact; because from Day One of Obama's term he started the peace process with Envoy Mitchell and we Americans are not going to stop put the pressure on Israel to finish the peace deal(s). There's more than One Thousand days left for Obama's tenure; does Netanyahu and Leiberman have 1,000 different excuses?

My dear Petra, posting from the United States surprizes me that you know so little about politics; but you are always spewing about it. No foreign donations are allowed in US political campaigns. No foreign governments, no foreign individuals political contributions are allowed.

As usual, Levy cuts to the heart of the issue. Israel will never remove, stop, or even slow the settlements. The US will continue to look the other way. Israel will continue to rant about Iran being the next Third Reich. No wonder the Iranians want nukes.

does Israel eccept reality? NO or they should stop occupation and start the peace process!

If a Nobel Prize was awarded for prejudiced one sided negativity, Mr. Gideon Levy would be the annual winner. It's easy in a real democracy to be as critical as one wants without repercussions, but does it actually help the situation? Why doesn't Mr. Levy apply his monomaniacal critical myopic political vision to Palestiian intolerance, civil war, repression of women, race hatred, and corruption so they can begin to heal themselves and be a credible partner to peace? As of now, the Palestiians have created their own chaos and wallowed in hatred for decades while Israel has built a vibrant state.

As they do with all your articles, but it will also get the same answer as with all the other issues:"I appreciate that many of you don't believe progress has come fast enough. Do not doubt the direction we are heading and the destination we will reach,", now that is faith. His intentiones are clear, but his ability is questioned. "Paves the road to hell" isn't operational here, because of this ability to achive. He made it to the post of the 'Leader of the free world' against all odds. To achive that was a far harder task then it will be to twist the arm of warmongers and neo colonialists. He will do that with pleasure. He is just making sure that the audience is calling for it to happen. Your voice is being heard.

It is not Obama who has to breng peace it's up to you and me! In stead of taking your responsabilities yourself you prefere for someone else to repair your own mistakes and be paid for in Israeli currency. Keep dreaming, baby..unless you start accepting reality and the facts nothing will ever change!

....in Washington D.C. Obama may not be the guy with the most backbone on this earth, but if he could as he would (personally like to), he would make the U.S. become a truly "honest broker" in the Middle East. Unfortunately the grip of the "reactionary forces" in Washington D.C. (U.S. Congress/AIPAC) on U.S. foreign policy is still too strong for him to be able to break free. But it's only a matter of time, slowly but surely that grip will go away, let's just hope and pray that it won't go away with a "big bang".....

Why lose faith at this stage? See it as a football game and we are 10 minutes into the match and your team has done nothing but to try to figure out how the opposite team will play the game. Then all of a sudden the fans starts to leave because the match is lost, even though other fans and supporters are singing we are the champions, certain of victory. Barack Obama isn't a push over for the US Jewish lobby of old. His assessment of the right wing Gov't of Israel is taking shape. He wants to see all their cards before he goes 'all in' and even though he is holding his cards close to his chest people are already putting side bets on his hand to win. After a mere 11 days in office he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, not for what he had accomplished, but for his Straight Flush in hearts. He holds all the cards, now its time to play his hand. So we agree, all we differ on is faith. The worlds needs you Mr Levy, to have faith. Don't give up so easily, we need your voice of hope.

it proves how little is being done to establish peace in the world, especially in the middle east. I think the Nobel comittee could not find a worthy candidate to give the prize to, and it would have been more honest if they withheld it this year until a worthy candidate came along...

The fact that Obama has not had (yet) a real "show down" with Natanyahu's government doesn't mean he has lost this political war. He is not going to get into a noisy political brawl with the Israeli governement. An assertive warning that Natanyahu's policies run counter to USA interests is more than enough to signal a clear policy shift. Natanyahu might win small battles, but there is no doubt who will win the final tug of war. The shift in foreign USA policy that we are seeing is like an ocean liner veering: it is a slow process. It takes more than a few months. Small boats tailing the liner could boast that they resist the veering motion and cheer their small "victories", but in the end it is VERY likely they will be swept.

you're more than right!

I'm just an ageing drummer boy And in the wars I used to play And I've called the tune To many a torture session Now they say I am a war criminal And I'm fading away Father please hear my confession I have legalised robbery Called it belief I have run with the money And hid like a thief I have re-written history With my armies and my crooks Invented memories I did burn all the books And I can still hear his laughter And I can still hear his song The man's too big The man's too strong Well I have tried to be meek And I have tried to be mild But I spat like a woman And sulked like a child I have lived behind walls That have made me alone Striven for peace Which I never have known And I can still hear his laughter And I can still hear his song The man's too big The man's too strong Well the sun rose on the courtyard And they all did hear him say 'You always were a Judas But I got you anyway You may have got your silver But I swear upon my life Your sister gave me diamonds And I gave them to your wife' Oh Father please help me For I have done wrong The man's too big The man's too strong

you said it all. Thank you. Seems once a man wins the office of the presidency, his mind is lost. Or maybe it was before hand by the 'deals that money buys? Wasn't it Will Rogers who said famously, "America has the best politicians money can buy"? We're not getting our money's worth, but, the Saudi's surely are.

No Gideon, Obama needs more help from his friends abroad to pave the way for changes to occur by taking Hamas off the terrorist list and ending the blockade of Gaza and impose sanctions if Irseal doesn't set a date for withdrawing from the territories and ending settlement expansion. Dutch

While their handing out prizes, Iran's continuing to build a nuclear facility. Obama's prize must be for letting them. Amazing, he criticizes Israel while his friends the Iranian's build the capacity to harm more than Israel. Ah, but the nice prize... A cheap payoff for becoming a treacherous 'ally' to Iran.

"Unlike in Afghanistan and Iraq, in this region he will not need to shed American blood to secure peace. It's enough to show political determination, apply pressure and use Israel's isolation and dependency for the cause of peace. " Mr Obama needs to use the moral power that the Nobel committee has just given to his elbow. He needs to fulfil his promise, he must dare to dare. Everything has been tried and everything has been checkmated by diversions that are as entertaining as they are deadly. Stop tolerating diversions, stop twisting the arms of others when it is our arms that need twisting. President Obama, settlement freeze now, this instant, and then straight to the negotiating table. There is no alternative.

Yes Gideon, that is why he recived it, Even the folks in Oslo could spot what you have just written. It isn't so much of an award as a pressure to make the young President live up to his words and, as you suggest, come back for more. "Softly softly catches monkey" and "you catch more flies with honey then with vinegar" is the present policy. The advantage with that is that when it doesn't work, it has been tried and then there will only be another way:an enforced peace. And for me, that is the only way. No other way will it be possible to make Israel come to its senses and redraw behind the Green Line. So let it be known that Barack Obama tried to be gentle with the brute before he got tough. After all there could have been no other way for him to go about it, to try all the avenues in a friendly way. Yes now its the time to get tough.

Gideon, Please never loose your drive for reporting the truth.

After reading Mr.Levy's most recent diatribe I was curious to look up the Hebreic origin of his surname, Gideon. Strangely, it comes from the Old Testament and means "Great Warrior". Mr. Levy is as disingenuous to his name as he is to his country and countrymen. A more apropriate name would be Judas from the New Testament.

Obama is nothing more or less than Jimmy Carter in negative.

What a group of people do in a foreign country in giving out an award is irrelevant. America must follow its own national interests and ignore foreign influences.

They both despise Jews.

This is what Americans want from him and others should jump on board and help him out! I suggest they could begin by taking Hamas off the terrorist list and releasing them from prison and lifting the blockade. In addition, there is no reson for the IDF to say they can't uproot folks in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. All they have to do is what other colonial powers have done -announce what day they are pulling out and a large chunk of the populat- ion will leave with them. Those who wish tostay can apply for Palestinian citizenship. So there is no need to talk about retaining settlement blocs or indeed relocation. Let those pioneer settlers figure it out. They have know for a long time their future lies down the road. Let them go to it! Dutch

Gideon has once more proved that, "It is better to be thought a fool than to open ones mouth (in Levy's case to put in writing ones beliefs) and prove it. To compare Obama with the Dalai Lama is an obscenity. Obama is a slick "Snake-oil" salesman. There was nothing noble about the Nobel decision.

I feel betrayed too. I only hope to gind myself wrong in the near future.

Obama could win 100 nobel peace prizes, but it does not matter. Peace will only be reached when the the Palestinians decide that they are willing to live with Israel. The problem is that the left wingers that dominate these sorts of awards and our media do not understand this. The US can not impose peace.

but for the inspiring affect he's had on the international community and the hope for dialogue and the peaceful resolution of conflict that he's brought to it. the committee, of course, also hoped that he would work to achieve these things; but it also called on all nations to pursue them as well. in the end, he's just a man like you or i or any other with similar ideals; only HIS position lends a tremendous amount of influence to his words... so maybe when it all boils down to the knitty gritty, it was given to him for having the courage to stand up in front of the world to voice his ideals and to say the things that he's said; in a manner never before done by a president of the united states. meanwhile, the patience mentioned in a previous post may be well advised. i personally suspect that obama and his advisors have a definite approach in mind, and that they're working unseen to align all the elements/players towards that end...BEFORE it's brought to the forefront. but if NOT, and if you end up being right about his being no different than any of his predecessors; then indeed, he's an over-inflated bag of wind who's not worthy of a cracker jack prize, much less a nobel.

Levy continues to demand Israel end their 'occupation' yet in insane, unrealistic fashion refuses to recognize that Palestinians and islamic fundamentalists must agree to Israel's very existence before it makes any sense for Israel to hand land or border control away to enemies. Gideon Levy hates that Israel attacked Gaza yet refuses to recognize that thousands of rockets from Gaza into Israel is what forced Israel to take that action. Gideon Levy hates Jewish settlements but refuses to recognize that ethnic cleansing of Jews out of virtually the entire Arab world is what created the need for Israel to increase its size in the first place, and Levy also refuses to recognize that there are no Jewish settlements in Gaza, and the settlements in the West Bank are on under 5% of the entire area, leaving over 95% of it under Palestinian control. Basically, Gideon Levy just hates Israel and in dishonest fashion, bashes Israel in every single article his mentally ill mind can come up with.

It took a long long time but Gideon finally wrote something that I can agree with.

Once upon a time there was a principle that human rights were universal - every human being on the planet had them. Then along came the Palestinians, who convinced everybody that not only did Israelis not have human rights, but that the Palestinians have an exemption and can violate those same international laws on human rights. Gideon Levy and Amira Hass adopted this attitude, and the two of them have helped convince western journalists and NGOs that the Palestinians do indeed have the "right" to kill Israeli civilians without fear. Not just without fear of prosecution, but without fear that they will ever be held accountable for their war crimes (read the Goldstone report, yes, they are war crimes). Levy is guilty of betraying universal human rights. The shame is both his and the owners and editors of Ha'aretz.

Or is it Levy's choice to divide the world into responsible adults and morally unaccountable children? Everything is black and white in Levy's world vision, even more than Bush's. Don't expect the Darkies to have any moral culbability - it is always the moderate grownups who are guilty for the messes. How unique and ironic that his inverse racism and patronisaing double standards, are inversed in theis case. But I do agree with one thing: Giving Obama the Nobel, is like burbing the baby before feeding him the bottle. Obsurd. Unfare.

He's effectively divorced American Jews from Israel, and he doesn't care what the Evangelical Right thinks. Those were essential prerequisites. Now just to give Israel enough rope...Israel has to be allowed to demonstrate beyond denial that she is being completely uncooperative, then Obama can pull the plug. Well, so one can hope, anyway. I didn't vote for the man, but I'll be happy to admit I underestimated him when he succeeds.

Does constant criticism of Israel and turning a blind eye to Arab extremism actually promote the chance of negotiations for peace, or continue the polarization process? Mr. Levy, you should apply some of your critical analysis to the ongoing violence inherent in the Arab position and actions, instead of taking pot shots at Israel. Perhaps you need some first hand experience of what Hamas is like, so I would be glad to help subsidize your visit to Gaza. See if people of all kinds are open to talk to you and you can publish what they say and think. Get your insurance policy paid up before. Good luck.

How come you are so impatient, Mr Levy? Let's give Obama more time. You will see that he will bring peace to the whole world. By the way, I love your free and democratic and prosperous country, which I'm planning to visit soon.

I've been saying for some time now that Obama is not different from Bush. Obama is not going to bring peace with his new-old policy. He dioes not deserve the Nobel award. Seriously. (Thanks Mirvat)

Obama seems to have been awarded the Nobel Prize on the basis of his vision. And surely his concept of two peaceful countries is better than Bibi's endless quagmire, and Abbas' confused denial. But, Mr. Levy, offering your own negative view of Israel is a non starter, asking Israel to capitulate before Arab maximalist demands, without any criticism of their 60 years of hatred and violence. The vision you offer is that of capitulation, not negotiation. What Obama needs is to persuade the parties to sit and talk, not to force them to conform to your private vision.

Israel could have supported the US by stopping the building for afew months. The US is at war in two Muslim countries with soldiers dieing every day, alittle show of support from Israel would have been nice, after years of US support in aid and UN vetoes. So why did Israel react to strongly against stopping the building afew months?

-why not award to George W?

lt is interesting to read Mr. Levy's remark about an imbecilic act. lt brings me straight to thinking about the very attitude he is presenting in regards to Obamassiah. This man is not of action but all talk and if it ever comes to action it will likely be disastrous. As far as lsrael is concerned Mr. Levy could go a long way helping to save that country from the writer of the above article

...President Obama could not mandate immediate change upon taking office, yet he immediately took up the mantle of forging a Arab-Israeli peace agreement. Israel has been taking certain actions during the Obama administration that are adding up to a world consensus strong enough to overcome even the objections of an AIPAC agenda driven US Congress. President Obama has a domestic constituency that he has to satisfy. He could not waltz into office on the heels of the made up controversies of Khalid Rashidi and Reverend Jeremiah Wright and unilaterally force Israel into an Arab Peace Initiative peace agreement. I believe this administration has thoroughly studied the playbook. The Goldstone Report was never taken off the table as an important issue as in past administrations. Ian Kelley has said it is the position of the United States that the "serious" concerns raised in the report be investigated by Israel as the report itself concludes. Wait until enough rope is played out.

And the jews in Israel and the diaspora encourage that and the lack of peace because they delude themselves they were given the land by "god" even though the rest of the world has given up on your lunatic country. How often have jews in Israel even acknowledged the Palestinians Gideon? Who beside a small minority have ever conceded that Israel has no right to be because it actually rejected UN resolution 181 and the resolution was illegal, immoral and non-binding anyway? It has taken decades for the world to be shown the reality of Israel. Now we simply reject the place even though there are many, many decent Israeli's. There are just too many lunatics per square inch in the place for any person to deal with.

Obama has a lot on his plate, and he can't risk major distractions from the problems we have in the US. He has not yet put tightened the screws on Israel, but that doesn't mean he won't.