Obama’s getting off on the wrong foot, says Rami Khouri of Beiruit’s Daily Star. First, Obama tried to kill the Goldstone report on Israeli and Palestinian war crimes in Gaza. Then a huge (non-binding) majority of the U.S. Congress rejected Goldstone’s findings without refuting any of his facts.  Then Hillary Clinton bowed to Israel’s rejection of a freeze on new Jewish settlements in Palestinian territory.

These three moves by the US are more about domestic politics than Middle East diplomacy, but they augur badly for peace-making prospects if they point the way to future American positions.