When President Obama went to Cairo University in Egypt to deliver his speech about U.S. policy change towards the Arab world, a sense of new times was felt.

The Arab world in general, is very critical of U.S. policy in the Mideast, its almost blind support of Israel, and its way of solving conflicts with what is perceived as excessive force in regards to Iraq and Afghanistan. So when the president talked about the Palestinian right for self determination and his commitment to see it through, the feeling was that change actually has come.

Looking back, not much has changed since and the effect of that groundbreaking speech has faded away.

So what exactly is the White House’s policy in the Mideast? And how far are they willing to go to solve the Israeli Palestinian conflict?

The net answer for these questions is not encouraging.

This administration has served nearly half of its term and one can say there’s a regression.

The Israelis and the Palestinians are engaged in U.S. led “proximity talks” but no one really knows what the point of having these talks are, other then waiting for the declaration of their failure and who’s to be blamed for it. The Israelis reluctantly agreed to attend them after the White House twisted their hand to do so and the Palestinians have no faith in Israel’s honest desire to reach an agreement, and are attending them so no one can say they blew another chance at making peace.

Clearly, and short of a miracle, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is not about to offer the Palestinians anything they can except as fulfilling their national aspirations. Netanyahu’s right wing coalition government will not allow him to make such an offer and he hasn’t made sincere efforts to invite the more dovish Kadima party to join his government, a move that will signal his willing to go a longer way towards the Palestinians.

Which brings us back to the U.S. president who is going to have to call a spade by its name and make a decision, a major decision, do I simply leave them on their own and let them bleed or should I force an agreement on them, a move no president has ever taken?

The perimeters of an Israeli Palestinian deal are known to all parties involved, and are as follows: some of the Israeli settlements in the West Bank (land the Palestinians want for their state) where 250,000 Jews live and are close to the pre-1967 war border will be annexed to the state of Israel, while another 100,000 Jews will be told to leave their homes for the creation of a Palestinian state. The Palestinians will have control over the Arab neighborhoods of east Jerusalem as well as making it their capitol. Palestinian refuges from the different wars in the region will not be allowed back to their homes in what is today the Jewish state but they will be compensated for their loss. Other issues such as water allocation and security measures are not as problematic to solve.

The lack of courage from leaders on both sides leaves it to Obama to use all the leverage the United States has on Israel and the Palestinians and force a settlement.

But will he?

Obama takes a look at another president, Carter, who facilitated an agreement between long time enemies Israel and Egypt…that didn’t help him get reelected.

And then there’s the Jewish vote every Democratic president has to take into consideration when he comes to pressure Israel into doing anything.

Henry Kissinger once said that there is no such thing as Israeli foreign policy…only a local one. Obama has used some of his credit here but still has some left but time is running out, he needs to put aside all the local U.S. politics and help the Israeli and Palestinian people do what their leaders aren’t brave enough to do.