The full interview will appear in our upcoming April 2013 magazine (don't miss it - SUBSCRIBE NOW) as an example of both the possibility for peaceful coexistence and the enormous hurdles that must still be overcome thanks to a generation of anti-Israel indoctrination among the Palestinians.
Below is a portion of the interview that demonstrates that indoctrination, and, even more interestingly, reveals that even among the most educated and traveled of Palestinian professionals, US President Barack Obama is viewed as a fellow Muslim.
Israel Today: Obama is known as the first US president to be close to the Muslim world. As such, is he a fair partner in the peace process?
Dr. Odeh: I hope so. In his first four years, Obama didn't demonstrate that. I was happy that he was elected, as an African-American, and a Muslim by birth. This identity is very special, it's special for the United States to have such a president. The American role is very important for the Middle East, so I hope he will be able to do something in regards to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
