President Obama launched his administration with a concentrated focus on the Middle East. In his first full day in office, he telephoned three regional leaders and on the next day announced a Presidential Envoy to Palestine/Israel in the form of fmr. Senate Majority Leader and Northern Ireland peace broker George Mitchell (who, although he never mentions it, is half-Lebanese).

Then Obama did what no U.S. president had done in 16 years: put pressure on Israel to abide by international law. For decades, Israelis have been illegally building colonies on Palestinian land. Even after 1967, Israeli state lawyers agreed that such practices are contrary to international law but successive government, both on the left and right, have supported settlements for purposes of expending Israel’s borders. Today, over 500,000 Israelis live in illegal settlements in the Occupied West Bank and Occupied East Jerusalem.

Obama made his opposition to settlements clear, and, unlike his lip-service predecessors, actually applied pressure on Israel to cease all construction and refused to accept any Israeli rational to continue to build/expand illegal settlements.

The far-right government of Netanyahu for months refused, and in this confrontation the most powerful man in the world gave in to a shameless and lying propagandist whom is dependent on U.S. aid and diplomatic support. In a United Nation joint press conference with the Israeli prime minister and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, President Obama modified his language and turned his previous demand for a settlement “freeze” into a timid and meaningless request for settlement “restrain.” Netanyahu could hardly maintain his glee.

Obama’s actions actually inspired hope in the world; in Arabs who finally saw that the United States was capable of being tough with Israel and not just the Palestinians and with Europeans whom have long resented they way Israel uses unconditional support from the world’s sole superpower to arrogantly dismiss international law and European concerns.

The whole world was watching and Obama blew it and not even one year in. Israel will now continue to build more and more settlements and peace will be father away. The Palestinians have actually endorsed an Israeli state and American-trained, Palestinian Authority Security Forces are establishing law-and-order in the West Bank. But the far-right Israeli government has only half-heartily endorsed a Palestinian state and one, no less, that is caveat-ridden. And now that same government will continue to steal land Palestinians aspire to one day build their once-again sovereign nation on.

The Palestinians are angry, but they have misdiagnosed the problem. A meme from the office of the Palestinian president states that, “All hopes placed in the new U.S. administration and President Obama have evaporated,” because the White House, “couldn’t withstand the pressure of the Zionist lobby.”

The Zionist lobby? The Israel lobby is powerful, but only as powerful as one allows it to be. Too many people, here and in the Arab world, seek to subscribe to the Israel lobby some sort of superhuman strength. Lobbies influence policy, but only in a context favorable to them. If that context changes, then no lobby can continue to dictate to the president.

Obama should be held accountable for his own inaction and weakness and not have the Israel lobby as an excuse. If he really wanted to, he could rebuke the lobby and threaten an aid cut for Israel unless settlements stop. Of course, this is not to deny that political costs would be born. Jewish voters and Jewish campaign are not to be dismissed. But they are only count for so much. If Obama really wanted to, he could tell the lobby where to get off and do what he believes is right. In other words: Obama only answers to Obama.

The Israel lobby excuse removed public officials from the reality of personal responsibility. A fight with the lobby may be won if so sought. But Obama doesn’t seek it not because the lobby is too powerful, but because he was so many other issues to attend to right now that Palestine/Israel doesn’t factor in that high.

Maybe his new (undeserved) Noble Peace Prize will focus his energies toward a final peace agreement, and one that will entail even more robust pressure on Israel. That was the Noble committee’s intentions. The lobby will not be able to stand against a popular president with the backing of the Noble.

The world waits.