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Obama Says Bibi’s Speech Shows “Positive Movement”
June 15, 2009 9:39 PM
ABC News' Sunlen Miller reports: President Obama said he saw “overall positive movement” based on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech in which he acknowledged a two state solution.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval office this evening, President Obama responded to the Prime Minister’s speech given on Sunday.
“He acknowledged the need for two states,” Obama said of Netanyahu, “There were a lot of conditions, and obviously working through the conditions on Israel's side for security, as well as the Palestinian side for sovereignty and territorial integrity and the capacity to have a functioning, prosperous state, that's exactly what negotiations are supposed to be about. But what we're seeing is at least the possibility that we can restart serious talks.”
Speaking at Bar Ilan University outside of Tel Avis yesterday, the Israeli Prime Minister said that he would accept a Palestinian state under certain conditions: that it would have to be demilitarize and its establishment was contingent on the recognition of Israel as a Jewish homeland.
Given the broadly negative reaction from the Arab states and the Palestinians to Netanyahu’s speech, President Obama said that anytime that an Israeli Prime Minister makes a statement, the immediate reaction tends to be negative on one side, and vice versa when the statement is made from the other side.
The president reiterated the US’s perspective, that Israel’s security is “non negotiable” and that the US will stand behind their defense.
“I've also made very clear that both sides are going to have to move in some politically difficult ways in order to achieve what is going to be in the long-term interests of the Israelis and the Palestinians and the international community.”
For Israel, Obama called again for a cessation of settlements. And on the Palestinian side, called again for the recognition of Israel's right to exist, making sure that past agreements are abided to and an end to violence against Israel.
Obama said that these are the “necessary pillars of any serious settlement that’s to be reached, “have to be supported by the Arabs states.
“So I'm glad that Prime Minister Netanyahu made the speech. The United States will continue to try to be as honest as possible to all sides in this dispute to indicate the degree to which it's in everybody's interests to move in a new direction.”
Now, I've been very clear that, from the United States' perspective, Israel's security is non-negotiable. We will stand behind their defense.
“So I'm glad that Prime Minister Netanyahu made the speech,” Obama said, “The United States will continue to try to be as honest as possible to all sides in this dispute to indicate the degree to which it's in everybody's interests to move in a new direction. And I think it can be accomplished, but it's going to require a lot of work.”
- Sunlen Miller
June 15, 2009 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (12)
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... BTW, I'm trying to be 'as honest as possible' ...
Posted by: DontGet818OnMeNow | Jun 16, 2009 9:29:34 AM
Positive movement toward bombing Iran and annexing Gaza..maybe.
Posted by: DontGet818OnMeNow | Jun 16, 2009 9:01:41 AM
So now it seems as if the Palestinians don't recognize Israel - so unless something changes, Israel and the Palestinians will continue to bicker, fight and the stalemate will continue with Hamas throwing a huge wrench into things. One would think the Palestinian people would be sick of being second class citizens and join in the roadmap. What's to lose?
Posted by: Bob | Jun 16, 2009 8:14:44 AM
Yoni Netanyahu (Yonathan Netanyahu) sacrificed his life to save the Air France passengers from Terrorist at entebbe, uganda. Google "Operation Entebbe"
Posted by: Freedom | Jun 16, 2009 8:10:18 AM
Check out "Yoni Netanyahu".
Posted by: Freedom | Jun 16, 2009 8:05:08 AM
Is either we unite together as friends or die together as fools! Maybe that quote is from GWB..LOL I don't know..maybe MLK. Is that a difficult concept for the Palestinians to understand (those who insist on getting rid of Israel)Of course Israel has to take some responsibility for things that were done over the years to the Palestinians, but it seems as though the Israelis want peace and a large part of the Palestinian poplace don't want to recognize Israel's right to exist. Some of the palestinians like North Korea still don't understand that the most important thing is a healthy country with a healthy economy and a satisfied populace. Guns, nuclear power etc is all grounded in stupidity, especially if the majority of your citizenry are hungry, jobless, uneducated etc..Why people cannot understand this simple concept is beyond me..I think its a form of demon possession.
Posted by: Stanley | Jun 16, 2009 6:01:17 AM
The prime minister of Israel is right. I am not jewish nor am I arab, but I have been studying this situation for a long time and I have come to the conclusion that while the Israelis want peace so that they can focus on developing their country..the Palestinians for the most part do not want to recognize Israel as a nation and that is bad for peace. I do not understand why people can be so stupid and not realize that the most important thing is a peaceful country with the ability to educate, provide adequate health care, jobs and a modicum of comfort for its citizenry..if you continue fighting and fighting then everyone loses. The prime minister is correct..Palestine would have to be demilitarized. The Palestinians should focus not on an army but on providing for it people the aforementioned factors that supports a developing country.
Posted by: Stanley | Jun 16, 2009 5:51:02 AM
Dorn L:
i totally agree
Posted by: sarahforromania | Jun 16, 2009 3:38:54 AM
he says that he's for Israeli security. security will e a dream if there is a PA state that is not demilitarized.
Posted by: sarahforromania | Jun 16, 2009 3:37:14 AM
Like Obama I also think Nethanyahu agrees to a two state solution and a demilitarized (both states) peaceful region would be a dream come true.
Posted by: gjkotw01 | Jun 15, 2009 11:02:25 PM
The focus on settlements and Israel tonight was striking: the onus, the blame, the focus was all on Israel. It was as if the Arab world had never launched all the wars against Israel, and actually accepted Israel as a permanent state. It ignored every single statement and hardline position of the Palestinians.
When has the Arab world accepted a permanent Jewish state? Why does ABC News ignore the incitement and clear signs that the Arab world sees the peace process as a means to destroy Israel?
Why is there never any mention that Mahmoud Abbas has stuck to every hardline position of Arafat? In particular, he demands resettlement of refugees in pre-1967 Israel, not the
West Bank. This denies the rights of the similar number of Jewish refugees from Arab lands, and sidesteps Arab responsibility for starting the wars.
When will the story of Jews expelled from Arab countries ever be told? Why is Israel punished for uplifting Jewish refugees from Arab lands, while Arab lands are rewarded with sympathy for 6 decades of manipulating the Arab refugees? This is all the more hypocritical since the Arab world started the wars.
When will ABC even point out that previous Israeli concessions such as Gaza led to more hostility, more extremism, and more rocket attacks? When will CBS note that Hamas and
Fatah can't even agree on how to run a single border post between Gaza and Egypt? If that is the case, how they are going to make peace with Israel?
One-sided pressure on Israel, while ignoring Arab refusal to compromise on any major issue, is not going to encourage peace. Rather it will only exacerbate hostility, and bring more conflict.
Posted by: Dorn L | Jun 15, 2009 10:58:09 PM
Mc GregorWood's report on Netanyahu's speech was very anti-Israel. How long for ABC to report unreasonable Palestinian demands? They refuse to recognize Israel as a Jewish state. The demand for “return” denies the rights of the similar number of Jewish refugees from Arab lands. It sidesteps Arab responsibility for starting the wars that led to BOTH Arab and Jewish refugee issues. Why place all onus on Israel, and ignore 60 years of Arab warfare, Arab incitement, to destroy a small Jewish state?
Posted by: Dorn L | Jun 15, 2009 10:54:40 PM
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