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LISA MULLINS: This is Netanyahu's second go-round as Israel's Prime Minister. He also held the position from 1996 to 1999. Political columnist Akiva Eldar of the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz says Netanyahu's views are essentially the same now as they were back then.

AKIVA ELDAR: Netanyahu hasn't changed when it comes to trusting the Arabs, the Palestinians, the Syrians, and first and foremost we have the problem with Iran. So the idea of engagement, which is the name of the game of President Obama, is not his favorite line. His ideology and his personality is based on power and anxieties from the past. He compares Ahmedinijad to Hitler.

MULLINS: President Barak?

ELDAR: This is his perspective, and this is also where he gets his support from.

MULLINS: And we can talk about that support and to what extent it represents the whole of Israel. I mean, this is a man who was very recently brought back to office. His party was re-elected, but it was very much a contentious vote. How much broad support does he have in Israel?

ELDAR: The large poll shows that actually there is a vast majority for a two-state solution which you know he completely rejects.

MULLINS: This would be a Palestinian state and an Israeli state side by side, and he's long rejected it?

ELDAR: Exactly. Yeah. And more than that I think, the Israeli public is very concerned about any crisis between Israel and United States. The Israelis are very familiar with the phrase “special
relationship, and they see this as an essential strategic asset, more important even than nuclear power. And history proves that any prime minister that tries to play games with an American president eventually lost the public support.

MULLINS: Okay. So if then the majority of Israelis – you say the majority of Israelis – support a two-state solution, support some kind of a peace deal with the Palestinians, they support a strong relationship between the United States and Israel, they don't want any kind of fighting between Netanyahu and Obama – then why is it that Netanyahu comes here to the United States with the idea of pushing Palestinian-Israeli problems off the table and bringing relations – difficult relations right now – with Iran on the table?

ELDAR: Because there is a very strange phenomenon that the average Israeli is more pragmatic than his average leader. The coalition that Netanyahu has put together is basically center Right, extreme Right. Of course, to be honest, when you ask those Israelis who support a two-state solution what is the price they are willing to pay for it, they are much less generous than you expect when it comes to Jerusalem or refugees or even removing settlements. Keep in mind that any deal with the Palestinians will require at least the relocation, or if you like uprooting, at least 100,000 settlers. And I'm not sure if Netanyahu can get the kind of political support he needs in the current message for this. And after just a few months in office, he wouldn't take the chance for going for another election.

MULLINS: Just one final question for you, Akiva Eldar. How much of an inroad do you think can be made now that we have a conservative Israeli dealing with liberal American president versus a liberal Israeli, previously, Ehud Olmert, dealing with a conservative American president, George Bush?

ELDAR: Yeah. I wish that one day we will have both liberal government in both Israel and the
United States. We will have the perfect match. I think President Obama, if he decides to move forward and if he really believes that engaging Iran will be more effective once there will be an Israeli-Arab peace coalition, he will find that the mainstream of the Jewish community and the American Congress is on his side. And if this happens, the Israeli public will find that there are no holes in the American-Middle East policy, and the center of powers, all of them, are behind the President. I think Netanyahu will have to make the necessary moves.

MULLINS: Thank you very much for your thoughts and time. Akiva Eldar, political columnist for Ha'aretz newspaper in Israel. Thanks again.

ELDAR: Thank you. My pleasure.

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