Insisting that President Obama has "enhanced prestige" because he won the Nobel Peace Prize, the LA Times
runs this headline and subhead:
Israelis, Palestinians wary of Obama the Nobelist
Both sides in the Mideast conflict worry that President Obama's enhanced prestige as a peacemaker may work to their disadvantage. Israel's Shimon Peres congratulates a fellow laureate.
And yet the reporter, Richard Boudreaux, can't back that up. From the Palestinian side, he reports only these statements:
"This man has not accomplished anything to deserve this prize," Hafez Barghouti, editor of the official Palestinian Authority newspaper Al Hayat al Jadida, wrote in a commentary. "On the contrary, he went back on his position on the Palestinian issue." The prize, he added sarcastically, "may be an incentive for him to start working for peace. Therefore, I want to congratulate him in advance."
Judgment of Obama was harsher in the Gaza Strip, whose Hamas rulers shun the goal of a peace accord with Israel. "He backs Israel, and whoever backs Israel is a partner in war crimes," said Jihad Rayes, a 55-year-old Gaza resident.
So the Fatah journalist makes fun of Obama and the Hamas resident caricatures him. No enhanced respect whatsoever in evidence among Palestinians.
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