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    In The Arab Press, Eyes Roll At Romney And Obama

    Romney plays to Israeli dislike of Obama, but the Arabs aren't much fonder.

    Mitt Romney's trip to Israel is aimed primarily at American allies of the Jewish State, but it's also being welcome in a country that has had mixed feelings at best about President Barack Obama.

    But if some Israelis hope for a change from Romney, coverage of the Arab press so far has reflected Arab alienation from Obama and relative indifference to the prospect of a change.

    Lebanon's Daily Star addressed the regional lack of faith in American Israeli-Palestinian diplomacy.

    "Barack Obama once said he would make Middle East peace a priority, and held it against George W. Bush that he had not.... [Now] the Palestinians are out of the picture, and no one in Washington has a desire to embark again on what is regarded as the fool’s errand of Israeli-Palestinian talks," wrote opinion editor Michael Young in an editorial days after Romney announced his travel plans. "Nor will things be different if Obama is re-elected; and even less so if Mitt Romney becomes president."

    A similar sentiment could be found on the social media platforms and blogs that have increasingly become important outlets in the region. The smaller, more personal Arab blog-o-sphere was abuzz with frustration after both Romney and Secretary of State Clinton's Middle Eastern travel plans were announced earlier this month. ArabCultureDZ, an online political forum for Arab youth, published a blog post soon after Romney's announcement that let not just Romney, but Obama have it: "is not the U.S. administration under President Obama threatening to veto acceptance of the State of Palestine as a member of the Organization of the United Nations?... Did not Barack Obama's administration raise the white flag before the Netanyahu government as it insisted on continuing settlement activities in the Palestinian Authority's territory?" And the Arab political blog Awsaat offered the weakest of support for Obama: "Although many of us are feeling disappointed with Obama's first term, unfortunately, we can choose between the bad we know, or the worse we don't know."

    The Jordan Times, meanwhile, ran an editorial following news of Romney's visit to Israel, admonishing him for not visiting other Middle Eastern countries: "Such [a] visit may have been viewed as benign, even constructive, had Romney included other countries in the region in his itinerary, but choosing Israel alone makes one wonder at the distance presidential candidates in the US need — or are willing — to go to be in Israel’s good graces."

    Other Arabic publications such as Al-Quds, Qatar's Al-Araab, Al-Watan Voice, and the Lebanese Daily Star simply mirrored the domestic political analysis of the American press.