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Israel is on high security alert as the US president and his600-strong delegation arrive for a three-day stay. Key roads areclosed, whole Jerusalem neighborhoods fenced off, while police andsecurity forces are fully mobilized to provide the highest level ofsafety: Obama is ‘in town’ on a friendly visit to re-set America’s'special relationship’ with the Jewish state.It doesn’t seem his arrival is raising much excitement on theground. US policies in and towards the region have made puzzledIsraelis over whether they will be left alone to face what theyperceive a grave Iranian threat, while the Arabs fail to see anyaction on the US side to make Israel backtrack on the West Banksettlement construction.Israeli authorities have branded the visit the ‘UnbreakableAlliance’, hoping Obama’s physical presence will send a clearmessage to the international community about the closeness the twoallies enjoy. Among other things, Obama is scheduled to payrespects at the grave of Theodor Herzl in Jerusalem, the ‘Father’of Zionism, acknowledging support to the Israeli case in the MiddleEast. Obama will meet with President Shimon Peres and PM Netanyahu onWednesday. On Thursday, he will visit the Israel Museum tospecifically see the Dead Sea Scrolls. He then will go to Rammallahand talk to Abbas and other Palestinian leaders.On Thursday afternoon Obama will deliver a speech at theJerusalem International Convention Center. The Herzl tomb visitwill falls on Friday morning, then Obama will visit the Holocaustmemorial in Jerusalem and the Church of Nativity inBethlehem.On Friday afternoon Obama moves on to Amman, Jordan, to meetwith King Abdullah II.In reality, US-Israeli relationship is far from at its best. Thefact that it’s the very first Obama visit as president speaks foritself.”There are policy differences, on Iran, on the Palestinianissue, on the attitude toward the rise of Islamist forces incountries like Egypt. What you see from Jerusalem nearby is notwhat you see from Washington at a distance” Iramar Rabinovich,former Israeli ambassador to the US, told RT.According to a recent poll by the Israel Democracy Institute atTel Aviv University, a majority of the Jewish public – 51 per cent- believes Obama’s attitude toward Israel is merely neutral, while10.5 per cent regard him as hostile.The general mood in the Israeli society is that the US is notkeeping its promises to stay close and ensure political andmilitary protection. Gas masks distributed among the people and’strike’ warnings through the media made the attack on Iran alooming reality for the Israelis, whether or not they enter ‘thewar’ alone or with the US.America is strongly against a strike, hoping diplomacy andsanctions will ensure Iran stays without a nuclear bomb.”If we can resolve this diplomatically, that is a morelasting solution,” Obama said in his interview to IsraeliChannel Two last week.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not believe indiplomacy, though, when it comes to Iran. He’s gearing his countrytowards a preemptive strike.”Striking Iran in spite of American explicit objection wouldcertainly hamper Israel’s relations with the United States, mighteven break them altogether,” Yiftah Shapir from the Middle EastMilitary Balance Project told RT.With that in mind, the Obama-Netanyahu dynamics look unsettling.Obama, however, insists there is nothing to worry about.“I’ve met with Bibi more than any other world leaderone-on-one,” he told Channel Two. “He is very blunt with meabout his views on issues, and I am very blunt with him about myviews on issues. And we get stuff done. We could not coordinatemilitarily or on the intelligence side had it not been for ourcapacity to work together.”Another pointy issue between the two is the Israeli settlements onthe West Bank and the consequently stalled peace talks with thePalestinians. Netanyahu has been known for his aggressive promotionof the settlements policy for years.The new parliament, elected in January, has been supportive ofhis stance. Most members of the new government, formed only a fewdays ago, are known to be pro-settlement. The settlers feelconfident to follow the lead.”We don’t see ourselves leaving our communities. We live herewith the encouragement and support of the Israeli government,”Miri Maoz-Ovadia, Israeli settler community representative toldRT.The US has explicitly condemned the settlement policy, but has donenearly nothing that would change the reality on the ground, raisingPalestinian anger.”In his statements, President Obama has repeatedly voiced hisopposition to illegal land expropriation, and we think he’s right,now all that remains is to translate words into action,” thePalestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas told RT.Obama is meeting him on Thursday.The scheduled Hertzl tomb tribute didn’t go unnoticed either, withspeculations Obama should also go to the resting place of the latePalestinian leader and Nobel Peace Prize-winner Yasser Arafat.On the eve of the arrival hundreds of Palestinians rallied inRamallah with placards saying ‘No Hope for Obama’. Angered by theAmerican leniency towards the Israeli settlements, they expectlittle of his visit.”Obama came just to beautify the ugly face that Bush left.The American governments work the same whether the president isObama or Bush. The only difference is that one president smiles,while the other doesn’t,” Afu Agbaria, Arab Knesset member,told RT. The third most pressing issue on the table for Obama’s time inthe Middle East is the deteriorating situation in Syria, withlittle progress expected on that side either. … Read More