BAGHDAD – A top Shiite cleric close to Hezbollah favorably contrasted President Barack Obama's inviting language with his predecessor's invading tanks — but also used a Friday sermon to pour contempt on the president's mention of America's strong ties with Israel.
The view of Lebanon's Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah reflected the ambivalence of many Muslims about Obama's speech in Cairo.
The optimism immediately following Thursday's address was tempered a day later, as the complexities of the Middle East and its conflicts left many skeptical that Obama's talk could lead to action on the peace process. Some also said they were disappointed that Obama offered no apology for America's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
More than anything else, some influential figures said Friday that they could not look past Obama's affirmation of the "unbreakable" bond between the U.S. and Israel, and they took that as a sign that nothing had changed.
"We have witnessed that despite every nice word he said toward Arabs and Muslims or Islam, he is still committed to the unbreakable bond toward the Zionist entity," Fadlallah said.
Obama's speech dominated the Arab media on Friday, with newspaper headlines like "A New Beginning" and most editorials and opinion pieces devoted to analyzing every word. Regional news channels like Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya continued to air excerpts from the speech, which dominated political chat shows for a second day.
On Friday, Obama repeated during a visit to Germany his call for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and a halt to Jewish settlement activity in the West Bank.
Obama said he recognized the politics involved in Israel that made it difficult to accomplish this task, but he said, "The moment is now for us to act." He also announced he was dispatching special envoy George J. Mitchell back to the region next week.
Israel's current government is opposed to the U.S. leader's position on settlements and refuses to endorse the idea of a Palestinian state. It responded Friday by saying it would not heed Obama's appeal.
The likelihood of a policy clash between Israel and its most powerful ally seems certain to block a resumption of serious peace talks — the issue that Arabs across the region said was the most important for repairing U.S.-Muslim ties.
In Iran, Washington's adversary for 30 years, a sermon by a hard-line prayer leader revealed the depth of hatred felt by Muslims toward Israel as much as the magnitude of the task ahead if the Obama administration is to keep its support for Israel from poisoning relations with Muslims, as it has for decades.
"Israel causes tension and clashes in the Middle East, imposes oppression and kills innocent people," Ayatollah Ahmadi Jannati told worshippers in Tehran. "Israel does whatever evil she likes. What are you going to do about it? Will you answer this, Mr. Obama?"
The United States and Iran are at odds over what Washington and some of its Western allies say is Tehran's attempt to acquire nuclear weapons, though Iran says it wants only peaceful nuclear power. Washington also accuses Tehran of destabilizing the region with its support to militant groups like Hezbollah and the Palestinian Hamas.
Hamas on Friday commended Obama for taking a different approach from that of former President George W. Bush, widely reviled by Muslims for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as his war on terror.
A Hamas statement posted on the group's Web Site, however, said the speech "lacked policies and practical steps" to stop Israel's "aggression" and support the rights of the Palestinians.
In Damascus, Syria, Hamas politburo member Ezzat Rashq said the speech signaled no change in U.S. policy, and he rejected Obama's call on the group to renounce violence and recognize Israel's right to exist.
"We hope that the American position will change from being biased to at least being neutral," said Rashq.
Associated Press writers who contributed to this report are: Bassem Mroue in Beirut, Lebanon; Omar Sinan in Cairo, Egypt; Ali Akbar Dareini in Tehran, Iran; Dale Gavlak in Amman, Jordan; Ben Hubbard in Gaza City, Gaza Strip; Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria; and AP staff in Baghdad.
in Bulgaria. AP
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