Obama prepares for trip to Middle East

WASHINGTON, June 2 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama, preparing to travel to the Middle East, indicated he was willing to be critical of Israel as he works for peace in the region.

"Part of being a good friend is being honest," Obama said during an interview on National Public Radio. "And I think there have been times where we are not as honest as we should be about the fact that the current direction, the current trajectory, in the region is profoundly negative, not only for Israeli interests but also U.S. interests."

Obama said "a freeze on (Israeli) settlements is part" of negotiations for peace in the Middle East.

Obama was to leave Washington Tuesday for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He is scheduled to deliver a speech to the Muslim world in Cairo Thursday.

His comments about settlement activities on the West Bank came as Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu compared halting settlement construction to "freezing life," and said it would be "unreasonable."

Obama has not indicated what the United States would do if Israel continues to resist halting settlement construction.

In Riyadh, Obama was expected to press Saudi Arabian King Abdullah to engage more in the Arab-Israeli peace process and to make an overture to Israel, the Times said.

Israel's allies in Congress, however, indicate Obama's demands on Israel may be misplaced, Politico reported.

"My concern is that we are applying pressure to the wrong party in this dispute," Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., said. "I think it would serve America's interest better if we were pressuring the Iranians to eliminate the potential of a nuclear threat from Iran, and less time pressuring our allies and the only democracy in the Middle East to stop the natural growth of their settlements."