Given that he quoted the Koran three times, opened with “Assalamu Aleikum”, empathised with the suffering of Palestinians and strongly endorsed their “legitimate aspirations” to a separate state, the reaction to Barack Obama’s speech from pro-Israeli groups back home was surprisingly muted.

Mr Obama’s predecessor, George W. Bush, said that the US was at war with “Islamofascism”. But Mr Obama, whose speech did not include the words “terror” or “terrorism” and who has abandoned all use of Mr Bush’s “global war on terror”, is way too popular at home and abroad to take on directly.