Fatah had not yet fully recovered from the aftershocks of the Goldstone Report when Hamas surprised them by extending a hand of friendship to the US president.
In his June 4, 2009 speech at Cairo University, President Barack Obama dramatically raised expectations for U.S. policy in the Middle East, among Americans and Muslims both.
Steps taken by Britain, Sweden, and Norway acknowledge the illegitimate nature of several Israeli policies against Palestinians -- pressuring Israel to change those policies, says Rami G. Khouri.