Israeli officials, including Netanyahu, to face arrest in Spain

Even if Israel and Palestine could agree on a two-state solution, it is doubtful they could both agree on where their borders should be, especially concerning Jerusalem. “Not the [disputed West Bank] territories, not the settlements nor any other factor – it is the will to destroy us that keeps the conflict alive and motivates murderous aggression against us”, he said.

He also had words of caution for those who seek to justify or explain terror attacks: “We should remember – we are not to blame for the terrorism directed against us, just as the French are not to blame for the terrorism directed against them”.

What Netanyahu wanted – and still wants – is much more and he could achieve it all, even though U.S. recognition of the Israeli annexation of the Golan Heights is a bit hard for Washington to fulfil.

I guess he didn’t hold the Iran deal against the president.

As for Netanyahu, he seemingly got what he wanted – quiet. The Americans have stopped bugging him about the peace process, the construction in the settlements appears to be moving ahead at a steady clip, albeit slowly, and at the beginning of the year, on March 17, the Israeli public once again gave him a vote of confidence, providing him with another term – this time at the head of a right-wing government. That meant that when he conducted coalition negotiations, Netanyahu did not have to agonize over diplomatic plans. Weiss, in the dress of a Hasidic Jew, used the platform to call for Israel’s abolition, because the Jewish state is “causing endless rivers of bloodshed with your mere existence”. As Netanyahu left the White House, he went directly to the anti-Obama conservative American Enterprise Institute (AEI) to receive an award, followed by two stops at the Jewish Federation and the pro-Democrat “liberal” Centre for American Progress (CAP).

“We condemn in the strongest terms Palestinian violence against innocent Israeli citizens”, said Obama.

Obama has managed to fit 16 visits with Netanyahu into his tight schedule, and before meeting earlier in the week, our president said, “This is going to be an opportunity for the prime minister and myself to engage in a wide-ranging discussion on a few of the most pressing security issues that both our countries face”.

“As a nation that has suffered from decades of state-sponsored terror, we call upon the worldwide community to cooperate in order to ensure that justice is served for all”, said former Palestinian peace negotiator Saeb Erekat.

According to Israeli media reports, the perpetrator of the Otniel attack was apprehended last night in a special forces raid. So the real question is: “What concrete steps and policies are they prepared to take to avoid that outcome?” It seems to be easier to ignore these American descriptions or to consider them unrealistic.