Quadriga

On his last visit to Washington, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had to enter the White House through the back door. It was a long time since Israel's relations with the United States of America had been so strained. The tensions peaked in March: Israel chose to announce the construction of new settlements in Arab East Jerusalem as the US Vice President, Joe Biden, was visiting.

In late May, Israeli forces stormed an aid flotilla bound for the Gaza Strip. Israel's blockade of Gaza was back in the headlines, having more or less vanished from international public consciousness. Even the US president described it as 'unsustainable.' The Turkish government threatened to sever diplomatic ties if Israel did not apologize.

This time, Benjamin Netanyahu has encountered a more favorably disposed Barack Obama. The anger over the settlements and the Gaza blockade seems forgotten. The reason is simple: there are thirty-six seats in the US Senate up for grabs in elections this year and Obama does not want to alienate his voters. A harsh stance towards Israel does not go down well with Republicans but it can also draw criticism within Obama's Democratic camp. Still, Obama is sticking to his view that the peace process must be moved forward. He wants the hitherto indirect talks between the Israeli and Palestinian sides to be replaced with face-to-face negotiations – before the current Israeli moratorium on settlement building expires in September. What the president has not yet said is how that is supposed to come about with pressure from outside.

Israeli workers drive forklifts to unload goods from trucks at Kerem Shalom terminal, on the Israel Gaza border in southern Israel, Monday, July 5, 2010.

At the same time, the sharp international criticism appears to have had some effect on Israel. Netanyahu has eased the blockade and invited officials from friendly nations to visit the Gaza Strip. All the same: the situation in the Middle East remains tense and only time will tell whether Israel can gradually escape from its increasing international isolation.

What do you think?: Middle East Conflict – Israel Sidelined

Write to us at Quadriga@dw-world.de

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Our guests:

Michael Stürmer

Michael Stürmer – has been the senior correspondent at the German daily "Die Welt" since 1989. Born in Kassel in 1938, Stürmer studied History, Philosophy and Languages in London, Berlin and Marburg. He is also Professor of Modern History at the University of Erlangen.

Andrew Denison

Andrew B. Denison is a political scientist from the United States. He studied both there and in Germany, and is an expert in foreign policy and security issues. He works for the Institute for Strategic Analysis in Bonn, as a researcher and author, and is director of "Transatlantic Networks", a research consortium based in Königswinter, Germany.

Eldad Beck

Eldad Beck - the Germany correspondent for Israel's largest daily, "Yedioth Ahronot". Born in the northern Israeli town of Haifa, Eldad Beck went on to read Arabic and Islamic studies at the Sorbonne University in Paris. He has been living in Berlin since 1994.