Obdurate and unconcerned about the opinion expressed by the president of his country’s staunchest ally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood his ground in Washington, insisting that he supports self government for the Palestinians, but not mentioning one word about a state for these people under decades of Israeli occupation.

True to his pre-election promise, US President Barack Obama told Netanyahu to grasp the “historic opportunity” to make peace with the Palestinians by accepting the two-state solution and stopping the settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territories.

“I suggested to the prime minister that he has a historic opportunity to get a serious movement on this issue during his tenure,” said Obama, adding for balance, and good measure: “That means that all the parties involved have to take seriously obligations that they have previously agreed to.”

This position, held and re-advocated by the Arab Peace Initiative, as His Majesty King Abdullah made clear during his recent visit to the White House, is clearly based on international legitimacy and, as such, it can easily be translated on the ground. Only it needs a willing partner, and this, Israel is not.

The hardline position of this Israeli government - all governments, truth be told, although some tried to dress their uncompromising stances with discourse made ready by spin doctors - even though not new, is now made conspicuous because the US president, for a change, finally exercises long-deserved evenhandedness.

And so the world might come to finally “see” Israel’s true colours, away from blame on the Palestinians who, admittedly, do not try very hard to help their cause. But that is not really the stumbling block to a solution for this regional problem.

Perhaps Netanyahu is keeping the Palestinian card up his sleeve to bargain about Iran.

Tehran irritates Israel, and Netanyahu said in no uncertain terms: “Israel reserves its right to defend itself.” Of course, no resorting to the UN, to international law, to negotiations.

But it is not right to tie the two issues up - a Palestinian state and nuclear power pursuit by Iran. Especially when, after so many years, it has been established that the cause of most problems in the region is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Even if Israel views Iran’s nuclear capabilities as posing a grave danger to its existence, and Netanyahu wants US assurances against this potential threat, there is no escape from the two-state solution if the people in the region, and that includes Israelis, are to live in peace and prosper.

Obama’s stance is right. It will certainly score high among the Arabs.

Isn’t it time for Israel to come to its senses?