The New York Times' Tom Friedman has some fun with the strained relations between Obama and Netanyahu. He writes how each is pushing the other to do things he'd rather not.
Friedman makes the valid point that Netanyahu, by being bellicose, helps the negotiations with Iran move forward. Friedman calls Bibi the "loaded pistol on the negotiating table."
Friedman also says Obama has pushed Netanyahu to the negotiating table with the Palestinians. This is a place Bibi would rather not be.
Perhaps this unfriendly pushing and shoving will result in two positive outcomes, Friedman tries to be hopeful about it. A lifetime of watching the Middle East suggests to me the odds there are never in your favor (paraphrasing a Hunger Games slogan).
I cannot see how a coalition Israeli government can meet the Palestinians' minimum demands. Israel's highly fragmented political parties give ultra-nationalists and religious extremists veto power over government actions to limit or roll back settlements in the West Bank.
