Cheney’s visit to the Middle East

Some US officials are calling it soft pressure on Israeli and Palestinian leaders, but the White House is serious about peace. On this trip, Cheney even talked about Palestinian statehood, a taboo topic on previous visits. But at this mall in Ramallah, Cheney’s audience wasn’t buying it. one of the reasons for such a reaction, Cheney tempered his support for a future Palestine, saying that the current administration would never pressure Israel into anything. Some Palestinians are unconvinced, including this political scientist who says the US won’t put pressure on Israel. He claims peace talks without substance have eroded support for the Fatah-led government and he’s not even sure the Palestinian Authority is capable of running a future Palestinian state. Meanwhile some Israelis have grown skeptical of American efforts too.