An internal document circulated among members of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' political party says all hopes placed in the Obama administration “have evapo-rated” because of alleged White House backtracking on key issues to the Palestinians. The Fatah Party memo-randum accuses the United States of backing off from its demands that Israel freeze settlement construction and failing to set a clear agenda for new Mideast peace talks. It wasn't immediately clear whether the Oct. 12 document reflected Abbas' views or was intended to be leaked as Fatah's attempt to pressure President Barack Obama to bear down harder on Israel. The document said the Palestinians have lost hope in Obama and accused the American leader of caving in to pressure from pro-Israel lobbyists in Washington. “All hopes placed in the new US administration and President Obama have evaporated,” said the document issued by Fatah's Office of Mobilization and Organization. The department is headed Fatah's No. 2, Mohammed Ghneim. Obama, it said, “couldn't withstand the pressure of the Zionist lobby, which led to a retreat from his previous positions on halting settlement construction and defining an agenda for the negotiations and peace.” Abbas' aides had no comment on the memorandum, and Ghneim couldn't immediately be reached for comment. The Palestinians were encouraged by Obama's election and expected his much-publicizedoutreach to the Muslim world would soften the strongly pro-Israel positions of his predecessors such as George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. The Fatah document also restated the group's stance that Israel must freeze settlement construction and agree to a clear agenda for talks before negotiations can resume. The US says it hasn't abandoned these objectives but officials have indicated Washington does not see them as conditions for resuming talks. Obama's personal inter-vention last month failed to break the impasse. The document echoes sentiments expressed by other Fatah officials. On Sunday, former Fatah strongman Mohammed Dahlan said the party “feels very disappointed and worried by the US administration retreat.”
