Jeffrey Goldberg has a post on the Israeli elections noting, among other effects, that this victory for the right essentially means "the peace camp is dead." Of course, we already knew this -- the election only confirms a reality that has existed since Hamas first came to power in Gaza. As long as Hamas remains, there can't really be any peace, which explains at least in part why the Israeli center has shifted so dramatically to the right.
It seems more likely than not -- though far from certain -- that Netanyahu will end up as Prime Minister, which presents a unique set of problems for an American president who not long ago declared that being pro-Israel doesn't necessarily mean being pro-Likud. If Netanyahu does form a coalition, then Obama would, I think, necessarily have to be pro-Likud in order to be pro-Israel.
If Obama is to be a friend to Israel he must be a friend to whatever government the Israelis elect, even as he urges that government to adopt positions he deems more favorable to American interests. This is how the United States government treats its allies. The Bush administration didn't seek to undermine Paul Rudd or Gordon Brown simply because it preferred doing business with their respective predecessors. The relationship may have become more strained, but there was never any call for a pro-British and anti-Labour approach to Anglo-American relations.
Regardless, the man who promised to bring a new urgency to the peace process has, with this election, seen the first of what are certain to be many setbacks. Now all Obama has to do to get things started is find two sides willing to negotiate.
