Quick Facts: America's Middle East mess

RIMANEWS - There seemed little difference between Bush and Obama policies on closing Guantanamo and the introduction of military courts, the significant increase of troops in Afghanistan, his backtracking and retreat from his firm stand on an end to illegal settlements in Palestine-Israel, and continued support for authoritarian regimes. Huffingtonpost.com

Coming in the wake of the resignation of former Senator George Mitchell as Middle East peace envoy, Obama's address is expected to include a fresh attempt at kick-starting the Arab-Israeli peace process, something that would take place against a drastically altered background following the recent rapprochement between the two rival Palestinian groups, Fatah and Hamas. Rferl.org

This is while; Jewish donors and fund-raisers are warning the Obama re-election campaign that the president is at risk of losing financial support because of concerns about his handling of Israel. Washingtonpost.com

An untimely resignation

U.S. Special Envoy George Mitchell resigned, clearly angry at the lack of support his peace efforts received from the White House - and his resignation letter was about as curt and cold as any in recent memory. Aljazeera.net

According to Robert Danin of the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations, Mitchell's resignation confirmed "the goal of an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement by September is unattainable and negotiations are not about to resume any time soon." Guardian.co.uk

The question of whether mediators matter took on acuity this weekend with the resignation of U.S. Mideast envoy George Mitchell, a move that came exactly as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict he was asked to help resolve seems about to retake center stage. Macon.com

That reflected the fact that peace talks have been largely frozen since 2008, with the exception of a brief span in September, a Mitchell-mediated effort that quickly ran aground. Macon.com

The Palestinians say Mitchell was ineffective because the Obama administration did not exert the necessary pressure on Israel to maintain - as the United States itself demanded -- a construction freeze in Jewish settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, war-won lands the Palestinians want for their state. Macon.com

Palestinians would like Obama to follow through on statements made in Cairo two years ago. Theglobeandmail.com

In Cairo, Obama called on Palestinians to develop their institutions and their capacity to govern. He called on Hamas to unify the Palestinian people. And he called for an end to settlements. Theglobeandmail.com

Palestinian perseverance

Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas is planning to go to the United Nations in September to seek recognition of a Palestinian state. Politico.com

Experts say a vote to recognize Palestine could provoke a harsh response from Israel, diminish U.S. credibility and set back a negotiated settlement for years. Politico.com

Martin Indyk, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said: "If you have an uprising against Israel that is peaceful, non-violent, major demonstrations, tens of thousands of Palestinians marching on an Israeli settlement in the West Bank in the context of the UN General Assembly having recognized this as the state of Palestine, in which Israel is in occupation, that is going to create a potentially explosive situation." BBC.co.uk

Palestinians feel that the political stars are aligned in their favor: the popular Arab uprisings, the reconciliation between Hamas and the PLO and the mobilization of the Palestinian community as evidenced by last Sunday's demonstrations. Theglobeandmail.com