Obama faces a remade Mideast on second trip

BETHLEHEM, West Bank -- President Barack Obama, whose visit to Israel begins Wednesday, is scheduled to travel to this Palestinian city during his trip, but there is little anticipation and much skepticism in the air.

Previous American presidents have come and gone, people say, and nothing has changed. Israel's occupation of the West Bank has deepened, its settlements have expanded, and there is no sign on the horizon of a political solution that will bring Palestinians independence.

"We've reached the point of frustration," said Osama Darwish, a lawyer, expressing the pre-emptive disappointment ahead of the president's visit here Friday, which will include a tour of the Church of the Nativity, the traditional birthplace of Jesus.

Although Obama will meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah Thursday, Palestinians are keenly aware that the focus of the U.S. president's trip is Israel, where he will spend most of his time, and they have adjusted their expectations accordingly.

Statements by U.S. officials that the president will be in listening mode and will not be presenting a peace plan have further dampened Palestinian hopes that his visit will improve prospects for a resumption of peace negotiations, which have stalled in a dispute over Israeli settlement building in the West Bank.

"We understand that this is a preliminary visit, that he needs to at least demonstrate his interest in pursuing peace here," said Nabil Shaath, a senior aide to Abbas. "What happens when he goes back, this is the test."