Israel ended 2008 with its invasion of Gaza and now its prime minister, Benyamin Netanyahu has ended 2009 with a trip to Egypt in which he has touted the possibilities of peace and some kind of reconciliation with the Palestinians. The latter, of course, took place at the same time that Israel announced the building of 700 new apartments in East Jerusalem, a move that Israel is fully aware sparks huge anger and still more distrust from its adversaries, the Palestinians, and much of the rest of the world, as well. In announcing the construction plans in East Jerusalem, Netanyahu has clearly placated supporters of the various factions of his far right wing government and essentially shelved the idea of any real settlement freeze in occupied territories. Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem is considered just as illegal as its annexation of the West Bank and is therefore just as much an occupied territory. In arriving in Egypt and meeting with an apparently pliant Egyptian foreign minister who praised Netanyahu's new willingness to find a solution to the decades-old conflict in Palestine, Netanyahu gained worldwide attention. Netanyahu, just like every prime minister before him, is great when it comes to talk and just as lacking when it comes to real action on the ground. As usual, everything Israel offers is cosmetic and it seems to have taken in the Egyptian foreign minister, as well, who seems intent on relinquishing any real leadership role in the issue. If there is anyone truly missing from the dialogue at the moment, it is US president Barack Obama for whom the time has come to call a spade a spade and make the outright, incisive criticism of Israel that the world is crying out for. We have watched year after year as Israel runs amok in the Middle East, disregarding local agreements and snubbing its nose at international law, far too often with the complicity of the US. Barack Obama is supposedly a new kind of leader. If that is so, then he needs to find a new way to lead in Palestine. The US may be weakened by events of the past 8 years, but it is still an extremely powerful player in the Israeli
