In his campaign speeches before his first election in 2008 President Barack Obama had sounded very sanguine about solving the Palestinian problem. He spoke of two-state solution and opposed further colonization by Israel in Palestinian areas. He also made a reference to the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan and remarked that solution of the Kashmir dispute was essential so that Pakistan could whole heartedly concentrate on the war on terror. He had thus built great hopes in the Arab and Muslim world. But those hopes were soon to be frustrated under pressure from the Israeli and Indian lobbies. First he went back on his remarks about Kashmir to please the Indians. Then he gradually gave up on the Middle East peace process also. His famous Cairo speech marked the peak of his efforts to find a solution of the Palestine issue and reach a rapprochement with the Arabs.

Thereafter, he buckled under the pressure exerted by aggressive moves by Israel, the talk of two-state solution was heard less and less until it ceased altogether and the Middle East peace process was put on the back burner; finally it was practically dropped from the President's agenda. The Palestinians and the Kashmiris were sorely disappointed, and so was the rest of the Arab and Muslim world.

Nevertheless, in the present presidential elections Muslims in the US, who include many of Palestinians and Kashmir origin also, voted overwhelmingly for President Obama for a second term? Now that he has won they have built up hopes that what he could not do in his first term, he may do now. They believe that he would not be under such Israeli pressure as he had been in the past, there being no third term election for him. Now he can pursue his original plans as regards the Palestinian issue and the overall Middle East peace process.

However, given the present scenario it is still doubtful that President Obama will revive the Middle East peace process. Firstly, he does not have a free hand, with the Congress heavily weighed in favor of the Republican Party, and the pro-Israeli and pro-Indian lobbies stronger than before. Secondly, the Palestinian issue is not in the focus now as it had been before.

As of now it is the Arab Spring and the Syrian imbroglio that have been engaging attention of the world. Palestinian issue is not a top priority one even in the Arab countries. Most of them are looking inwards. Egypt is in turmoil because of the conflict between Islamists and liberals; similar internal conflicts are being witnessed in Libya, Tunisia and to some extent in Algeria. In the process bigger issues like Palestine, the continued Israeli occupation of Arab lands, the question of return of Palestinians to their homeland as well as the illegal building of new settlements by Israel in Palestinian areas, are being neglected.

It is high time that the Arab and Muslim leadership resolve their internal issues and close their ranks to press President Obama to revive the Middle East peace process to settle the questions of vacation of Arab lands by Israel and establishment of Palestinian state.

---