American "White Paper"

In 1917, the British Government issued the Balfour Declaration, that was a statement of intent to found a Jewish "homeland" in Palestine, for which they obtained the League of Nations Mandate in 1922. However, by 1939 the Government had reversed course and decided on the eve of WWII to accept the Arab position and so acted to prevent the formation of a Jewish State. They issued the "White Paper" of 1939 that effectively prevented any Jewish immigration to Palestine.
This kind of role reversal reminds me of the currrent situation with Pres. Obama. So far I don't think things have gotten quite so bad, but consider this. Pres. George W. Bush wrote a letter to PM Sharon accepting that some areas of dense Jewish settlement on the West Bank could be transferred to Israel, as part of a negotiated exchange with the Palestine Authority.
Now, the Obama Administration, in it's policy to placate the Muslim world, has reversed this policy and has said that this letter is not binding. How is it that at the same time they consider that Israel must accept all previous agreements, including that the Road Map is binding on Israel. Under that agreement Israel is supposed to relinquish all settlements in response to the PA stopping all acts of terrorism and violence against Israel. But, there are two mitigating circumstances, Israel objected to the blanket nature of this clause and so Pres. Bush wrote his important letter, that allowed Israel to sign the agreement. Also, the first clause of the agreement is that all Palestinian terrorism and violence must stop and that manifestly has not. Further, the clause does not speak about natural growth of settlements. So while Israel has accepted that no new settlements should be built, it does not agree that natural growth of existing settlements should be banned. Now Pres. Obama has essentially given his word to the Arab/Muslim world that he will force Israel to accept this dictate, and has been around the West, to Chancellor Merkel of Germany and Pres. Sarkozy of France, to bring pressure to force this concession on Israel.
I do not oppose Pres. Obama's attempt to re-establish ties with the Muslim world in his speech in Cairo, even though I think it is a wasted effort. Those who want to follow the west will do so, and those who want to fight the west won't be deterred. But, even if it is a wasted effort there are certain things that I think any reasonable person would take exception to. First, equating the situation of the Palestinians with the Holocuast. This is factually wrong and insulting. During WWII ca. 6 million Jews were murdered in an organized attempt at genocide. During the past 30 years I doubt that more thatn 10,000 Palestinains have been killed, and most during regular gun battles. Certainly there is no attempt by Israel to exterminate the Palestinians. Someone like Pres. Obama should be more careful in such an important address not to bow to propaganda.
Second, immediately after his visit to Cairo he went to Buchenwald. As if there is any equivalence between these two visits, one towards the Muslims and the other towards the Jews. His whole speech was based on an attempt to placate both sides, ending up in a tendency to cancel each other out. But, the main thrust seems to have been one of appeasement of the Arabs, just as in the British White Paper of 1939.