Obama urges Palestinians to drop settlement precondition
BBC News online - 21 March 2013
President Obama and Mahmoud Abbas gave a joint news conference following talks
President
Barack Obama has urged Palestinians to drop their demands for a freeze
in Israeli settlement building as a precondition for peace talks.
He stressed his commitment to a two-state solution, but said both sides may have to "push through" disagreements.
Later, he told Israelis they had a "true partner" for peace in Mr Abbas.
In a speech to students in Jerusalem, he said Israel was "at a crossroads", but must "reverse an undertow of isolation" and recognise that compromise was necessary for peace.
"Just as Israelis built a state in their homeland, Palestinians have a right to be a free people in their own land," he said, urging the audience to "look at the world through their eyes".
'Peace is possible'
President Obama laughed off his hecklers, saying it made him feel at home
The building of Israeli settlements on Palestinian land has been the major stumbling block in the peace process, with Palestinians long insisting it must stop completely before stalled talks can restart.
Mr Obama has previously backed that view and told reporters in Ramallah on Thursday that "we do not consider continued settlement activity to be constructive, to be appropriate, to be something that can advance the cause of peace".
But he added: "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."
While there were "irritants on both sides", such problems could not be used "as an excuse to do nothing", he said.
Analysis
The journey from Jerusalem to Ramallah is just a few miles and President Obama made it by helicopter. The distance may have been short but there was a difficult corner to turn.
The self-proclaimed greatest friend of Israel was here to meet Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. After several hours of talks Mr Obama told reporters that he remained deeply committed to an independent state of Palestine. But Palestinians will be sceptical. Such words have been uttered before.
Today there was a reminder of how complex the region's most intractable conflict is and also of how Mr Abbas does not speak for all Palestinians. Militants fired rockets into Israel from Gaza where Mr Abbas' rivals Hamas are in power. Mr Obama is spending just a few hours in the West Bank before heading back to Israel. Gaza is not on the itinerary.
"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.
About 150 protesters were kept away from the Palestinian president's compound by police.
Later in Jerusalem, Mr Obama told a student audience that the only way for Israel to thrive as a Jewish, democratic state was through the realisation of an independent and viable Palestinian state.
He said peace was necessary, just and possible, and that Mr Abbas and Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad were "true partners" for peace.
Mr Obama was heckled as he spoke - but responded by saying it was part of the "lively debate" in Israel.
On Thursday morning, Israeli
officials said two rockets were fired from Gaza into southern Israel,
but there were no reports of anyone being hurt. A further two rockets
fired from Gaza reportedly fell inside Gaza itself.
On Wednesday Mr Obama pledged America's strong support for Israel as he met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.
The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a two-state solution.
Palestinians, however, will be sceptical about Mr Obama's commitment to statehood as such words have been uttered before, the BBC's Jon Donnison reports from Ramallah.
Labels: Conflict, Defence, Human Relations, Israel, Palestinian Authority, Security, United States
posted by Pieface @ Thursday, March 21, 2013
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