Obama's First Call Abroad Goes to Palestinian President

3 years ago

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Imagine the surprise that Mahmud Abbas felt when he heard the following words:

"This is my first phone call to a foreign leader and I'm making it only hours after I took office."

The man on the other end of the line, of course, was none other than President Obama, who pledged to work toward achieving a "durable peace" between Israelis and Palestinians. That will be item one on Hillary Clinton's agenda when Senate Republicans relent and allow her confirmation later today.

One wonders whether the Israeli incursion into Gaza, and the subsequent withdrawal--which coincided precisely with Obama's inauguration--was predicated on the belief that Obama will be more responsive to Palestinian arguments.

My sense is that Obama's call to Abbas is meant as an elaboration of one of my favorite lines from the inaugural address:

...we will extend a hand, if you are willing to unclench your fist.

The offer of a hand did not go to that clenched fist known as Hamas, after all.

Filed Under: Barack Obama, Breaking News, Obama Administration

Tagged: israel, palestinian authority, PalestinianAuthority

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