Obama says he's not giving up on Mideast peace
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) - President Barack Obama urged Israelis and Palestinians on Thursday to get back to peace talks but offered no new ideas on how they might do so, essentially abandoning his previous support of the Palestinian demand for Israel to halt settlement activity before negotiations resume.
In remarks likely to disappoint, if not infuriate, the Palestinians, Obama said the United States continues to oppose the construction of Jewish housing on land claimed by the Palestinians but stressed that issues of disagreement between the two sides should not be used as an "excuse" to do nothing.
"If the expectation is that we can only have direct negotiations when everything is settled ahead of time, then there is no point for negotiations, so I think it is important to work through this process even if there are irritants on both sides," Obama told reporters at a joint news conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.
"My argument is that even though both sides may have areas of strong disagreement, maybe engaging in activities that the other side considers to be a breach of good faith, we have to push through those things to try to get to an agreement," he said. "I think we can keep pushing through some of these problems and make sure that we don't use them as an excuse not to do anything."
Obama's comments echoed those of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has repeatedly called for the Palestinians to drop their preconditions for re-launching the stalled peace talks. The U.S. president's remarks are sure to reinforce deep skepticism among Palestinians about whether Obama is willing or able to use U.S. influence to press Israel into making concessions on a matter Palestinians have identified as a top priority.
Abbas and other Palestinian officials said they would not drop the demand, noting that much of the world considers the settlements to be outright illegal and not merely an impediment to peace talks.
"We require the Israeli government to stop settlements in order to discuss all our issues and their concerns," Abbas told the news conference, a marquee event during Obama's brief visit to the West Bank on the second day of his Mideast visit. "It's the duty of the Israeli government to stop the settlement activities to enable us to talk about the issues in the negotiations."
During his first four years in office, Obama had sided with the Palestinians on the issue. He and his surrogates repeatedly demanded that all settlement activity cease. However, when Israel reluctantly declared a 10-month moratorium on construction, the Palestinians balked at returning to the table until shortly before it expired and talks foundered shortly thereafter.
The Palestinians want a state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem - territories Israel captured in the 1967 war - but are ready for minor adjustments to accommodate some settlements closest to Israel. Since 1967, Israel has built dozens of settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem that are now home to 560,000 Israelis - an increase of 60,000 since Obama became president four years ago.
Obama said the U.S. remains opposed to settlements because "we do not consider continued settlement activity to be constructive, to be appropriate, to be something that can advance the cause of peace." Still, he added that internal Israeli politics "are complex and I recognize that is not an issue that's going to be solved immediately. It's not going to be solved overnight."
He did say that Palestinians deserve an independent and sovereign state and an end to occupation by Israel. He said the prospect of a contiguous Palestinian state alongside a Jewish state of Israel continues to exist if negotiations would restart.
"I absolutely believe that it is still possible, but I think it is very difficult," Obama said.
Even before Obama spoke with Abbas, several dozen Palestinians in downtown Ramallah protested against perceived strong U.S. bias in favor of Israel.
Obama "should take immediate action to stop settlement activity because the passivity of his position toward settlements is happening while the very last option of a two-state solution is being killed by Israeli settlements," said Mustafa Barghouti, a leading Palestinian activist.
A day earlier, Obama reaffirmed the unwavering U.S. commitment to Israel's security and noted there had been no fatal attacks on Israelis last year from the West Bank, which is controlled by Abbas.
That calm has not extended to Gaza, which is run by the militant Islamic Hamas movement, and Obama said it would be helpful if rockets weren't still being launched into Israel. As Obama began his program Thursday, Israeli police said militants in Gaza had fired two rockets at southern Israel, causing property damage but no injuries.
One of the rockets exploded in the courtyard of a house in the town of Sderot early in the morning, said police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld. The other landed in an open field. Sirens wailed in Sderot shortly after the 7 a.m. rocket attack, forcing residents on their way to work or school to run to bomb shelters.
Obama condemned the action during his news conference with Abbas. As a presidential candidate in 2008, Obama visited the border town, which is frequently targeted by rocket attacks from the nearby Gaza Strip. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
Over the past decade, Gaza militants have fired thousands of rockets and mortar shells at Israel, prompting Israel, with considerable U.S. assistance, to develop its Iron Dome missile defense system, which it credits with intercepting hundreds of rockets.
Immediately after his arrival in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toured an Iron Dome battery at Ben Gurion International Airport in a vivid display of U.S. security assistance to Israel.
In Jerusalem earlier Thursday, while examining the Dead Sea Scrolls and during a tour of a high tech exhibit, Obama and Netanyahu continued the easy banter that the two leaders displayed on Wednesday. As Netanyahu read a facsimile of a scroll, Obama marveled that the Hebrew language had not changed much over the centuries.
In remarks likely to disappoint, if not infuriate, the Palestinians, Obama said the United States continues to oppose the construction of Jewish housing on land claimed by the Palestinians but stressed that issues of disagreement between the two sides should not be used as an "excuse" to do nothing.
"If the expectation is that we can only have direct negotiations when everything is settled ahead of time, then there is no point for negotiations, so I think it is important to work through this process even if there are irritants on both sides," Obama told reporters at a joint news conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.
"My argument is that even though both sides may have areas of strong disagreement, maybe engaging in activities that the other side considers to be a breach of good faith, we have to push through those things to try to get to an agreement," he said. "I think we can keep pushing through some of these problems and make sure that we don't use them as an excuse not to do anything."
Obama's comments echoed those of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has repeatedly called for the Palestinians to drop their preconditions for re-launching the stalled peace talks. The U.S. president's remarks are sure to reinforce deep skepticism among Palestinians about whether Obama is willing or able to use U.S. influence to press Israel into making concessions on a matter Palestinians have identified as a top priority.
Abbas and other Palestinian officials said they would not drop the demand, noting that much of the world considers the settlements to be outright illegal and not merely an impediment to peace talks.
"We require the Israeli government to stop settlements in order to discuss all our issues and their concerns," Abbas told the news conference, a marquee event during Obama's brief visit to the West Bank on the second day of his Mideast visit. "It's the duty of the Israeli government to stop the settlement activities to enable us to talk about the issues in the negotiations."
During his first four years in office, Obama had sided with the Palestinians on the issue. He and his surrogates repeatedly demanded that all settlement activity cease. However, when Israel reluctantly declared a 10-month moratorium on construction, the Palestinians balked at returning to the table until shortly before it expired and talks foundered shortly thereafter.
The Palestinians want a state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem - territories Israel captured in the 1967 war - but are ready for minor adjustments to accommodate some settlements closest to Israel. Since 1967, Israel has built dozens of settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem that are now home to 560,000 Israelis - an increase of 60,000 since Obama became president four years ago.
Obama said the U.S. remains opposed to settlements because "we do not consider continued settlement activity to be constructive, to be appropriate, to be something that can advance the cause of peace." Still, he added that internal Israeli politics "are complex and I recognize that is not an issue that's going to be solved immediately. It's not going to be solved overnight."
He did say that Palestinians deserve an independent and sovereign state and an end to occupation by Israel. He said the prospect of a contiguous Palestinian state alongside a Jewish state of Israel continues to exist if negotiations would restart.
"I absolutely believe that it is still possible, but I think it is very difficult," Obama said.
Even before Obama spoke with Abbas, several dozen Palestinians in downtown Ramallah protested against perceived strong U.S. bias in favor of Israel.
Obama "should take immediate action to stop settlement activity because the passivity of his position toward settlements is happening while the very last option of a two-state solution is being killed by Israeli settlements," said Mustafa Barghouti, a leading Palestinian activist.
A day earlier, Obama reaffirmed the unwavering U.S. commitment to Israel's security and noted there had been no fatal attacks on Israelis last year from the West Bank, which is controlled by Abbas.
That calm has not extended to Gaza, which is run by the militant Islamic Hamas movement, and Obama said it would be helpful if rockets weren't still being launched into Israel. As Obama began his program Thursday, Israeli police said militants in Gaza had fired two rockets at southern Israel, causing property damage but no injuries.
One of the rockets exploded in the courtyard of a house in the town of Sderot early in the morning, said police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld. The other landed in an open field. Sirens wailed in Sderot shortly after the 7 a.m. rocket attack, forcing residents on their way to work or school to run to bomb shelters.
Obama condemned the action during his news conference with Abbas. As a presidential candidate in 2008, Obama visited the border town, which is frequently targeted by rocket attacks from the nearby Gaza Strip. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
Over the past decade, Gaza militants have fired thousands of rockets and mortar shells at Israel, prompting Israel, with considerable U.S. assistance, to develop its Iron Dome missile defense system, which it credits with intercepting hundreds of rockets.
Immediately after his arrival in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toured an Iron Dome battery at Ben Gurion International Airport in a vivid display of U.S. security assistance to Israel.
In Jerusalem earlier Thursday, while examining the Dead Sea Scrolls and during a tour of a high tech exhibit, Obama and Netanyahu continued the easy banter that the two leaders displayed on Wednesday. As Netanyahu read a facsimile of a scroll, Obama marveled that the Hebrew language had not changed much over the centuries.
If Obama thinks giving aid gives dictatorial authority, then what does Red China require of Obama?
1947 - UN proposes 2-state solution, but Arabs declare that they will never legitimize the Jewish state and rejected the 2-state solution
1948 â Israel declares independence and the same day gets attacked by all it's Arab neighbors, but successfully defends its independence. This war created the issue of âPalestinian refugeesâ â most Arabs left Israel on their own because they did not want to live in Jewish state. However, they never got assimilated in the Arab countries, so they still live in refugee camps. Not only they do not get assimilated, their children do not get assimilated, so the number of ârefugeesâ grew exponentially. Any peace talks today so far stumble on the issue of ârefugeesâ â Arabs require Israel to take all the refugees, but Israel has no interest to absorb few millions of Arabs who only dream of destroying the Jewish state.
Multiple wars between Israel and Arabs took place since (like Sinai complain started because Egypt closed Suez canal, 6 days war started because Egypt closed Suez canal, kicked UN peacekeepers out of Sinai and blockaded Israeli port of Eilat, 1972 war started when Egypt crossed Sinai and attacked Israel. First Lebanon war started after PLO bombed Israeli North with Katusha rockets, both recent Gaza operations started after Palestinians shot hundreds of thousands of rockets (many of which are Iranian made Katusha spinoff) into Israeli towns, etc.)
Few terrorist organizations that control Gaza and parts of the West Bank arbitrarily declared some of the Israeli settlements âillegalâ and those who make money off of the Arab oil (UN, EU, etc.) and those who fall victims to their propaganda do not question this âillegalâ status and call Israel âoccupierâ.
What can Obama do to make peace in the Middle East? Same that Bush could do and same that every one of us can do â NOTHING. This conflict pre-dates Islam and even Christianity. The problem now is that the next big war in the Middle East might include Nuclear weapons and then everyone gets impacted.
http://atomictoasters.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Spy.jpg
"My argument is that even though both sides may have areas of strong disagreement, maybe engaging in activities that the other side considers to be a breach of good faith, we have to push through those things to try to get to an agreement," he said. "I think we can keep pushing through some of these problems and make sure that we don't use them as an excuse not to do anything."
Someone needs to follow his own advice!
I wonder if any of the mindless Obama haters here know that our deficit is shrinking at the fastest rate since the end of WWII?
Probably not, as that interferes with the "out of control spender" tag that Fox News parrots every minute of the day...
@lakeview Haha you're an IDIOT. The deficit is shrinking? What drugs are you snorting? You should stop now because you're obviously hallucinating and completely delusional.
@lakeview
Nope, still climbing. http://www.usdebtclocks.com/
@JohnQ.Public @lakeview He is just repeating the Liberal talking heads.
@lakeview Leggo my ego
He won't even go to Israel! (now he's there and everyone complains)
Too much debt! (hello sequester, cuts implemented, everyone complains)
He raised taxes! (he allowed the payroll tax cuts HE implemented to expire, everyone complains)
It's getting so old, like a broken down old tired record player. The guy could broker a world peace deal and get our unemployment down to 0 and everyone would still complain...like Obama started the greatest recession in the history of this country (technically, even adjusted for inflation, more wealth was lost in the 2008 crash than in the great depression crash).
We could get a republican in office, loosen up all those darned regulations, but then another bubble will burst, but hey, the rich will get richer though, then the dems will come in and take the blame while they slowly pick up the pieces....again.
@deejm2112Â Very well said.
@deejm2112Â When the democrats have to sign up for obamacare I will worry about republicans
@deejm2112lol, your last paragraph showed your a snake in the grass. Don't hate what you partake in.
@deejm2112Â but he's a black guy, didn't you notice ???
@sargerator So?Â
@sargerator @deejm2112 Sorry, we don't see skin color. We just see people.
@tally Somewhere I had a picture of her wearing a rubber dress...
@sargerator @TreeWizard @deejm2112 Ann Coulter cracks me up. She called Kerry a gigolo for marrying into the Heinz fortune. But I did like her better when she looked more goth and wore the black boots.
@sargerator @TreeWizard @deejm2112 Lol yeah, Ann Coulter speaks for everyone. Thanks for showing us your intelligence.Â
@TreeWizard @sargerator @deejm2112 Ya right, thats it !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYDGMt68K6o
If the Palestinians could stop their terrorist attacks for a year, even six months I might be willing to listen to them but I don't ever see that happening.
@PeterAWolf Of course we'll ignore all the settlement construction going on in "occupied territories"
@sargerator @PeterAWolf Just because a group of terrorists calls Israel 'occupied territory' - you repeat it? Occupied from whom? What country? What nation?
@Julie @sargerator @PeterAWolf Who was aterrorist in 1946 ? Hint ? king david hotel ? Oh thats right the "choosen ones" can't be terrorists !
@sargerator @PeterAWolf That is Jewish land and always be. Oh, and all those of European stock should leave "Occupied territories" in the Americas.
@PeterAWolf @sargerator Really ? gaza, west bank ? east jerusalem ? some history leasons ?
Hey Brobama the dickTator. Who cares mideast, idiot. You are runing our country! Â Here is a way to have mideast peace with all of those third world rag's. Drop the bomb(s). Hiroshima. Did not hear much from japan after that did we?
@R.u.Serious?
Truman didn't send a Fat Man to Nagasaki to end WWII?@R.u.Serious? And that's why you vote Republican...
@lakeview @R.u.Serious? Well rick santorum said"" We republicans will Never get the smart people to vote for us""
That's why they cut education funding..
Maybe it's just me . But stupid is as stupid does, should not be a platform to run an election on...
Just nuke the entire mid east and be done with t. That's what I would do.
@Oregon7812Â Endless supply of glass.
@TreeWizard @Oregon7812
Trinity glass.
If he's going to plan so many photo-ops, I sure wish he'd get that mole removed from the right side of his head. Â Might as well zap the one at his nose, too.
Even his image consultant is not consistent... there's a mole in THIS picture, not it that one, but it's back in another picture...Â
At least THAT would be progress.
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@TheUglyTruth lol
I've got the answer but I'm just waiting to see if he can come up with it himself or he won't learn.  Here's a hint: it involves sand worms from the planet Arrakis.  Let's see if he can figure it out.  *smiles knowingly and winks*
He also said that sequestration would never happen.
@oodathunked And Bush said North Korea wouldn't get nukes under his watch. And he also said there were WMD's in Iraq. Let's put things in perspective shall we?Â
Wow, are we still blameing Bush?
@oodathunked Cause he made you Sooo pretty???
@lakeview @oodathunked Am glad you support war with NKorea. I sure do.
Let's see - HE represented us all by going over to Israel and prostituting himself there, saying he stands with them and we all - every single American - stands with them forever, too? Good golly - no way, sir. NO WAY.Â
KATU admits Obama said nothing - about Israel or Palestine? Yup they sure did. BUT Obama was intent on making that "photo op" statement at the West Bank anyway. Â And the world witnessed him do that.Â
We now see  Barack Obama at a true ugly low point. And the world eye witnesses it all too.
All of this while an eye witnessing world knows arrogant hypocrite President Obama most likely is simultaneously (in secret of course) ordering up armed drones to be deployed directly at a innocent civilian in Yemen or Pakistan today...or wherever else across the globe "Peace" Prize winning Barack Obama discretionarily blood thirsts...
@englishdaisy Those were terrorist targets in yemen right ???
Yea we can't have him doing that because that is so wrong...
Well Mr President, right now I suspect you're the only person on the planet that hasn't given up on the middle east's prospects for peace.
@danoseknows ah, dane - think for yourself. All Mr. Obama did was incite the issue. Pander to Israel and incite the entire Middle East region. You cannot be a world leader, any world leader, and take a high road in regard to peace by always bedding down with evil intending Israel.Â
All Barack Obama "accomplished" was facilitate at great public expense a photo op of himself at the West Bank. All of the rest of his intonations - only put this entire nation and this entire nation's citizenry even more in peril. Until we totally extricate ourselves from Israel no one is going to believe America is the land of peace.Â
Especially when hypocrite U.S. President Obama is probably taking some "personal time" off today from these photo ops to secretly order up another armed drone bomb against a civilian population in some country IN THE MIDDLE EAST.Â
@englishdaisy So you are a nazi.???
@englishdaisy What politician doesn't pander to Israel? It's standard operating procedure.
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@Tom dogboy Collins Dude/Mr. President and DEM PARTY AT LARGE - it is especially absurd to imagine this president standing with any credibility in the Middle East discussing "peace" on any level. While simultaneously THIS president of ours - is blowing up innocent civilians all over the Middle East with those bigger and more deadly armed drone bombs of his.Â
Blowing UP innocent civilians all over the Middle East and Barack Obama presumes he has something that the people of the Middle East are waiting for him to say - on behalf of "peace". At the West Bank?Â
@englishdaisy @Tom dogboy Collins On the West Bank, Peace has a different meaning than it does here...Â
On the West Bank, PEACE is that time between bombings.