What are the fruits of Obama's Middle East visit? (2)

COORDINATING STANCE ON MAJOR ISSUES

Obama's Middle East tour was also aimed at coordinating stance with Israel so as to win time for a diplomatic solution on the Iranian nuclear issue.

Obama and Netanyahu reached consensus that a nuclear Iran would pose a grave threat to Israel's existence and therefore they did not rule out the use of force against Iran.

There was still time for a peaceful solution, Obama stressed. Only when a diplomatic solution fails would the United States consider other options, he said.

Aluf Benn, editor-in-chief of the Haaretz newspaper, said Obama wanted to reassure Israel that Washington will prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons by all means. But Benn believed that the United States and Israel are divided over the imminence of threat from Iran.

Obama was in no hurry and wanted to fully exploit diplomatic channels first, while Netanyahu was concerned that time was running out, he said."The window of opportunity in which Israel can do significant damage to Iran is closing -- if it isn't shut already," Benn wrote in an article.

Robert Satloff, executive director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, believed that U.S.-Israeli disagreement on the appropriate moment for the expiration of diplomacy apparently lived on.

On Syria, Obama "fell back on the idea that preventing the massacres is a world responsibility, not an American one -- a concept seemingly at odds with the thrust of his comments two days later at Yad Vashem," said Satloff.

UNVEILING STANCE ON PALESTINIAN STATE

The remarks Obama made during his Middle East tour on the Palestinian-Israeli peace process have drawn a lot of attention.

In his meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in West Bank Thursday, Obama showed significant support to Palestinian statehood.

Obama said that direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians "are the best way to reach a permanent agreement that guarantees the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel."

Khalil Shahin, a West Bank-based political analyst, told Xinhua that Obama's visit did not present any initiative to push forward the stalled peace process or bring any hope to the Palestinians.

"I believe that within the coming few weeks, the U.S. will present ideas on resuming the peace talks and these ideas will be less than a real and serious peace initiative and its utmost will be a continuation in the peace process stalemate," said Shahin.

Mohamed Yaghi, an expert with a Ramallah-based think tank, said that he believed the only action the United States can do right now is to resume meetings between Abbas and Netanyahu, adding "even holding such a meeting would need goodwill gestures and confidence building."