When I read a blog about Obama's speech to AIPAC yesterday, I couldn't quite believe what I was looking at: “Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel and it must remain undivided.”

It seemed about the stupidest thing he could have said. I wondered whether I was missing something and asked as much in a comment. I was assured by another commenter that he'd said nothing new, nothing untoward. I'm sorry to say he was wrong. 

Arabs shocked by Obama speech

Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, told Al Jazeera on Thursday: "This is the worst thing to happen to us since 1967 ... he has given ammunition to extremists across the region".

Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, rejected the statement, saying: "We will not accept an independent Palestinian state without having Jerusalem as the capital.

"I believe that case is clear."

Paul Woodward: Yesterday was the day the “change” bubble burst. Obama’s performance at AIPAC shows that his grasp of Middle East politics has yet to rise to the level of George Bush’s!

It is my understanding that Obama has far more direct knowledge of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict than most American politicians. His AIPAC performance is beneath contempt. 

I knew he was going to disappoint me sooner than later. I'm surprised he managed it this soon and this badly.