Obama Middle East Trip Schedule and Israeli Relations

creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. White House officials would not provide a date for Obama’s trip, which he will squeeze into the tight schedule he is building around a busy domestic agenda that includes immigration, guns and the economy. But Israeli media reported that Obama is scheduled to arrive March 20 as part of a trip that will include a stop in Jordan, where the civil war in next-door Syria and its growing refugee crisis is presenting a major challenge to King Abdullah II, a U.S. ally . Obama began his first term by making a strong push for peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, believing the conflict fueled radicalism in the region in general and toward the United States in particular, given its historical support for the Jewish state. In contrast to predecessor George W. Bush, Obama wanted to demonstrate to Arab governments that the United States would make demands of Israel in pursuit of a regional peace agreement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made little secret of his preference for Republican Mitt Romney in last year’s U.S. presidential campaign. Netanyahu and Obama have at times disagreed bitterly over issues relating to HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_029781