In U.S. campaign news, Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty accused President Barack Obama on Tuesday of a timid and incoherent response to the “Arab Spring” uprisings in the Middle East. Pawlenty also criticized Obama’s handling of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Tim Pawlenty, Republican presidential candidate: “Nowhere has President Obama’s lack of judgment been more stunning than in his dealings with Israel. It breaks my heart that the president of this country treats Israel, our great friend, as a problem rather than as an ally. The President seems to genuinely believe the Israeli-Palestinian conflict lies at the heart of every problem in the Middle East.”