Palestinian reaction to President Obama’s speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday is one of confusion and anger. The confusion comes from the juxtaposition of the Obama of one year ago standing at the same podium calling for Palestinian statehood and this year’s version, which many Palestinians are saying presented the Israeli position. The anger comes with the belief that the Obama speech – with help from French President Nicolas Sarkozy who spoke afterward and advocated for less than full membership for the Palestinians – scuttled the best chance for world recognition the state of Palestine has had to date. Those pleased and those disappointed with the Obama speech shared the view that the president’s remarks placed domestic politics above the quest for peace. As vocally upset as Palestinian officials were on Wednesday, Israeli diplomats did little to conceal their pleasure. But both sides agreed here, too, that an inevitable outcome of what now appears to be a sputtering Palestinian attempt at world recognition that only days ago seemed a bold initiative will be a reduction in the American role as interlocutor and the ratcheting-up of others seeking to be involved, such as Sarkozy and other European leaders. It is now unclear whether Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud ‘Abbas will proceed with submitting the Palestinian membership request to the Security Council or will opt for a General Assembly resolution where support for the Palestinians remains strong. [Cartoon by Baha Boukhari, with artist’s permission.]