Erdogan walks it back

The New York Times reports that President Obama and 'moderate' 'Palestinian' President Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen have not spoken since February.

Among the very first foreign leaders President Obama called after entering the Oval Office on Jan. 21, 2009, was the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas. The last time the two men spoke was in February, when Mr. Obama failed, in an awkward, 55-minute phone conversation, to persuade Mr. Abbas not to go to the United Nations to condemn Israel for building Jewish settlements.

The 25 months between those calls demonstrate how Mr. Obama’s relationship with Mr. Abbas has withered — and along with it, Mr. Obama’s hopes to make Middle East peacemaking one of his signature achievements.

American and Palestinian officials insist that there is no animosity between Mr. Obama and Mr. Abbas, unlike the often tense relationship between the president and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. But Mr. Abbas has lost faith in Mr. Obama, Palestinian officials said, and after four face-to-face meetings and many regular telephone calls, there is now little contact between them.

The Israelis have a great opportunity right now that could eventually pay great dividends.

Because of Erdogan’s petulance, and the economic chaos in Greece, Israel should step in to become a friend to Greece. Now, this doesn’t have to be expensive or elaborate, just little things, acts of friendship, that could take off a lot of pressure the Greeks now feel.

For example, clear some trade paths, offer some preferences, and if Israel has some surplus crop, give the extra to Greece. In return, give the Greeks a new market so they can earn some pocket change.

Greece is like an overweight man, a smoker, whose wife has become a harridan, that only wants him to eat tofu and bean sprouts, and has flushed all his cigarettes down the toilet. While Israel cannot afford to buy him lunch, despite his ravenous hunger, it can spot him a stick of gum, and a smoke.

And in doing so, when Greece is near rock bottom, Israel is really appreciated for its efforts. They will remember that the rest of Europe sneered at them, calling them a “stinky fatty”, but Israel was there for them. Especially the next time Europe wants to dump on Israel.

The icing on the cake is that it will be a snub to Turkey for both of them.

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