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For Obama, Trip Is a Chance to Repair Relations with Disappointed Israelis
(Washington Post) Scott Wilson - Among the landmarks the Israeli government asked President Obama to visit during his trip to Jerusalem this week is the tomb of Theodor Herzl, the chief theoretician of Zionism. Obama agreed - part of a series of carefully considered moves aimed at repairing relations with America's primary Middle East ally. For many Israelis, Herzl's grave represents an ancient Jewish claim, rather than one rooted in the Holocaust, to the slice of land that comprises their modern state. On his first presidential trip to Israel, Obama will seek to clarify his support for the Jewish state's theory of its historical roots - addressing one of several missteps he is attempting to fix in his second term. The trip is a mission of remedial diplomacy, rather than the kind of specific peace initiative common for previous presidential visits. Obama will speak not only to government officials but also to young Israelis in a speech at the Jerusalem International Convention Center. "It's part of building confidence," said Dore Gold, a former Netanyahu adviser who heads the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. "Building that kind of faith with the people of Israel is extremely important, especially if President Obama wants to pursue a line of policy that brings us closer to a political solution."