International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, 5 Mar 2010

Several veteran US Senators voiced displeasure with US President Barack Obama’s policies in the Middle East during hearings on the subject in Washington on Thursday, while both Israel and the Palestinian Authority were also criticized over the stymied peace process.

Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, who just returned from a visit to the region, lamented the situation in the Gaza Strip, saying it is "a great disappointment that so little has been rebuilt" following the war there a year ago and calling for Israel to lift the ban on importing heavy construction materials.

Ranking Republican Richard Lugar of Indiana suggested that the US might reduce the amount of aid it sends to both Israel and the PA if there is not significant progress in peace talks soon. "The consequences of a failure to move ahead have to be evident at some point," he warned. "Somebody has to worry about this."

Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pennsylvania) agreed there was an impasse but put most of the blame on the PA, saying that "the Israelis have shown, certainly in the last year, that they’ve been willing to make real concessions. I can’t say the same, in my judgment, about the Palestinians."

Most of the criticism, however, was reserved for the Obama administration, which the Senators agreed had not sent a clear enough signal on the UN’s Goldstone report concerning the war in Gaza and thus undermined the chances for direct talks between Israel and the PA, which they preferred over the "proximity talks" set to begin soon.

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