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Calling the status quo between Israel and the Palestinian Authority "unsustainable," President Obama today urged leaders from both sides to seize a moment of opportunity to reach a peace agreement as they begin direct talks in D.C. tomorrow.
The president spoke to reporters in the Rose Garden after holding four separate bilateral meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, King Abdullah II of Jordan, and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Both Egypt and Jordan have reached peace agreements with Israel.
Flanked by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former Sen. George Mitchell, special envoy to the Middle East, Obama said the U.S. would actively and aggressively seek a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians and a comprehensive peace between Israel and all of its Arab neighbors.
The president spelled out the aim of the direct talks that will be led by Clinton. "Our goal is a two-state solution that ends the conflict and ensures the rights and security of both Israelis and Palestinians and despite the inevitable challenges we have never wavered in pursuit of this goal," he said, adding that both sides had taken "important steps" to build confidence over the last year.
The relaunch of direct talks after nearly two years comes amid news of the murder of four Israeli settlers by Hamas gunmen in the West Bank town of Hebron -- violence which Obama, Netanyahu, and Abbas condemned. Israeli settlement construction on occupied territory has remained a thorny matter between the two sides as they seek to reach an agreement on final status issues.
"The goal is a settlement negotiated between the parties that ends the occupation, which began in 1967 and results in the emergence of an independent, democratic and viable Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with a Jewish state of Israel and its other neighbors," Obama said. "That's the vision we are pursuing."
He went on to acknowledge this latest round of negotiations would be met with skepticism, saying the parties were "under no illusions," that years of mistrust would not disappear overnight, and that building confidence between the parties would require "painstaking diplomacy. But Obama also said that peace was in the national interests of Israel, the Palestinians, the United States, the region, and the world.
"The hard work is only beginning," Obama said. "Neither success nor failure is inevitable. But this much we know: if we do not make the attempt then failure is guaranteed."
The president will hold a working dinner with the four leaders at the White House tonight. They will be joined by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Secretary of State Clinton.
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Sorry to tell you this Mr. President but i think your wasting your time. Israel would rather gag than have peace with Palestin. and Palestinians would rather go to temple than have peace as well. way too much bad blood between them. every president since carter has tried and failed.
Palestinian are mad because of broken promised ie land grabs and Israel is mad because of rockets from gaza and suside bombers that will never stop. its like my father use to say, they would rather kill each other than break bread together.
you can try but i would rather you take care of home first, remember 10 million out of work. having peace in the middle east will not make business hire here in the states.
I'm one of your biggest fans, but your not going to solve there problems. if they wanted peace it would have happened 20 years ago.
Obama has a vision problem. His eyes are fine, but he thinks his job is to tell everyone his vision, not to actually work and solve problems.
Seems like he had vision about the world being free of nuclear weapons and last week Iran just started loading up Bushehr. Maybe this Middle East vision is to take the attention off that vision.
Nevertheless, great post Jeff.
Ackmandinajob called George Walker Bush & Thanked him for it!
No one has been able to make peace in the middle east. Those who think it is always the fault of Israel are fools. They have the right to exist and are only protecting themselves from those who want them destroyed.
As for the muslims, they can't even get along with each other. Iraq, Iran and Pakistan are all trying to dominate themselves. They are probably jealous of the jews for getting along with each other.
The jews are not perfect, but at least they want peace. Islam only wants to dominate the world, according to the quran. It is a known fact that islam doesn't hate just jews, they hate all infidels. Regardless of what the leftist islam claims, they follow the same doctrine as the right, over the long haul.
They are following the doctrine of a single man who believed that woman were ment to be slaves to men, that men could have multiple wives and treat them like objects. That sending their children off to be human bombs was godlike. The religion of insanity, the cave people who thought this was something good.
Bottom line, there will never be peace in the middle east or the world until these monkeys learn how to tolerate. Oh, that probably stuck a nerve in the socialists. They want everyone to tolerate a murdering cult yet want to restrict the ideas of peaceful religions.
My answer to them is GET A @!$%#ING CLUE. You are the problem as much as islam. You will sit on your thumbs in ignorance until the curse falls on you them beg for those you hate to save you. Sorry, won't happen. You dug your own graves. Lay in them and enjoy.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is no different than right wing republicans and Tea Baggers. I don't condone what Hamas did either; but why can' Bibbi stop building setttlrment on other people's land?
Bill Clinton made it abundantly clear recently that Yasser Arafat and the Palestinians torpedoed the best chance ever for a comprehensive Middle East peace agreement. This is a long shot, but I'm guessing President Clinton's wife agrees with him on that, if nothing else.
The most important thing in this initiative is that both sides feel that the United States is an impartial broker in the negotiations.
Can anyone here tell me whether or not the Israeli public regards President Obama as impartial in their conflict with the Palestinians?
Anyone at all?
The Israelis are lucky that Netanyahu is Prime Minister...especially since Barack Obama is the POTUS.
Mixed Bag-these talks got off to a rocky start this morning. I caught the tail end of the speeches, and saw Obama almost push Netanyahu out of the way to stop the press conference. His remark?
"Now I have to get to MY bilateral talks".
I wondered for a moment how anyone but somebody with Duplicated Personality Disorder could actually have their own bilateral talks.
Is Obama impartial? Sure.
As long as benefit accrues to HIM, he is behind anything and everything.
Oh. You didn't mean that kind of impartiality, did you?
Beverly in Chicago
"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is no different than right wing republicans and Tea Baggers. I don't condone what Hamas did either; but why can' Bibbi stop building setttlrment on other people's land?
I c u like bold. So be it. It is obvious that you are in the land of Capone and think his way is the only way. I seriously doubt you have ever done anything except whine and collect welfare checks in the land of perpetual criminals, both government and private. So explain why you are so hateful and can't spell?
Middle East, Israel and the U.S. are three very different societies. I would rather have nothing to do with the middle east and pull all our interests from them. Let's stop purchasing oil from them completely. That means stop even through middle men with british accents.
Only then does Israel have a chance at survival against the thugs and women will have a chance at equality. We are supporting a group of people that have a completely different set of values from us and I as a woman am tired of it. Their treatment of women will be their downfall not their treatment of Israel.
We can watch Israel from afar and help when necessary much like we did with Kuwait. I'm just tired of paying taxes and having lots of money go to societies that still opress women. Enough is enough.
I presume, then, that you back drilling for oil right here in America.
No? Perhaps you'd like to go back to living in caves?
Spare me the 'alternative energy' nonsense. There is no energy fairy.
I love all the high minded people on this subject. Here in my state, a new power line is necessary in order to maintain and upgrade service due to the number of people in the state. Last month, the usual protesters showed up at a hearing to denounce the power lines. They all had the same thing to say: we should go to wind and solar, so there would be no need for power lines.
Do they think that they will get their electricity in a bucket at the local energy station? How, exactly, do they think it will be transmitted to their homes?
I find that most people involved in these debates are either misinformed, delusional, or hypocritical. Sad, really, truly, sad.
Anna, you seem to be logical. I would like no better than America to be weaned of middle east oil, but the left won't let that happen. They want renewable energy (as we all do), but they think it can happen over night. America is sitting on top of oil reserves that the envirowhackos and a hand full of coomie judges won't allow to be extracted. If these idiots were controlled, America could tell the mideast to pissoff. But they don't care about America. They wany America destroyed. They are the hidden enemy, a few killing the many. Stupid in and stupid out. They are the same ones who think Obama is some kind of savior. Maybe for everyone outside America. Does antichrist sound about right?
You know, Bush opened more land for drilling as did Obama. More wells have approved than in the past few years. So why isn't more drilling going on?
One reason is the ban on deep water drilling. So I had to ask myself, if there are more areas that can be drilled now, why aren't oil companies going after it, instead they seem to be concentrating on deep water drilling.
Oil companies receive more royalties the deeper they have to drill for oil. So why should they drill anywhere but the places that will provide them the most revenue?
All this is for show, unless Obama is willing to lean on BOTH sides. Not just to blast out at Hamas! There's lots of rejectionism in Fatah also, waiting to see what Abbas does when Bibi doesn't renew the freeze on settlements. Remember settlements are illegal; you cannot move your people on to occupied territories. It's the grim truth that American leaders, as well as the media, refuse to embrace. All the emphasis is on the violence, and not on justice. Foreign occupations have bred resistance for thousands of years and they always will.
I'm for CLEAN energy. Electric cars, trains. Windmill farms. Solar energy. This includes windmills and solar energy at every house. No more black death from our earth. Riding a bike would be a great way to slim us down as a country as well. Saving us millions in healthcare costs also.
AM I TO GREEN FOR YOU?
Sorry I don't agree with any more drilling. Only green energy going forward.
My solar panels are saving me so much money, I will have to live to be a thousand before they break even.
Do you have any idea how much wind you need to make a windmill produce one kilowatt hour of electricity?
How big they have to be?
How noisy they are?
Of course you don't.
Where do you think the electricity to run electric cars comes from-the energy fairy?
You are typical of the greens. High minded ideas, but no real facts.
Actually, if you really believed what you were saying, we wouldn't be having this conversation.
You'd be off the grid.
Ana,
We would have to devote and cover an area the size of Spain with solar panels and cover an area the size of Kazakhstan with wind farms to meet current needs.
Where will there be room for everyone to ride their bikes? Allowing people to people to purchase health care across state lines will save many more millions than spinning any pedals.
About those green jobs of Obama's? U.S. Geothermal got 102.2 million to create 10 jobs. That's only 10.2 million per job. Brightsource Energy got 1.37 billion to create 86 jobs at the bargain cost of 15.9 million per job. Abengoa is the lead/primary company that got 1.45 billion to create 85 jobs at the cost of 17 million per job. Maybe it's just me, but isn't this too much green for green dreams. Maybe it's just me, but isn't this willful insanity in any economic times. (About that reliance on foreign countries, Abengoa is Spanish. America can build a fleet of space shuttles, but we cannot make a stupid solar panel without subbing it to a Spanish company?)
Twenty per cent of the population believes we have been visited by space aliens. Twenty per cent of the population is liberal and believes Obama's green dreams, that Obama can just legislate scientific break-throughs and giving 17 million per job to a Spanish company makes sense.
Coincidence?
Nah, even the Roswell crowd isn't that crazy.
Again no sources for your lies. I'm so surprised! Try Fox News. They'll report anything they like!
Ana,
Unless I am mistakenly on your Facebook page, sorry you do not have the capacity to defend your post.
Banana,
There are plenty of sources you can Google to see the amount of money that is being spent on clean energy projects that will likely make no dent in our energy independence. In this article, construction workers look to make about $350,000 a year. Nice gig if you can get it.
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/04/13/13greenwire-public-spending-drives-robust-growth-in-us-geo-72049.html
The truth, Ana, is this. There is no form of alternative energy technology that has been invented yet that is affordable, and that is without unintended consequences.
You can buy a solar energy battery for your home. Can't remember the name of the company that makes it at the moment, but it's about the size of a couch, sits in your backyard and costs about $250,000 each. They're trying to figure out how to get the cost down some.
There's the dilemma about what to do with your broken energy saver light bulbs which, as it turns out, are hazardous waste; what to do with spent lithium material from batteries, and the way you would power your electric car would be through coal fired electrical plants or nuclear energy. Since clean coal hasn't been perfected yet, coal can get kind of messy. Would you agree to have a nuclear plant in your back yard? Nevada doesn't wan't those spent rods anymore.
I'm sure your heart is in the right place, Ana, but none of these ideas to reduce the use of oil are well thought out.
Right now the amount of money that is being allocated for research projects is absurd if you do the math. Lots of promise, no results.....so far anyway.
I'm all for the bike riding idea. Americans could use a little exercise.
A new nation wide electric high speed rail system powered by high efficiency gas turbines would put every construction worker in the country to work and then all the suppliers and the operators to run the systems, what do you figure 3 million or by the Liar Kings numbers 12 million. This is just one item.
The mideast riddle needs to be solved, so lets try rooting for our POTUS, try being an American for a change.
I wish it were not so but all that would do is move the entire country of Mexico up here and Americans would be at 15% unemployment. Contractors could not give a hoot in hell about keeping Americans working.
The construction industry is dying on the vine and will continue to do so until they shut down the illegal alien flow and deport 18 million of the 20 million illegals currently here. Otherwise just say goodbye to the rest of the construction industry and hello to Mexico.
It would be like ringing the dinner bell for a free buffet in a concentration camp.
Jomama72,
Excellent post! I'm all for my tax dollars to be used for that. Lets get it done!
Yep, lets create a bunch of unskilled labor jobs in America........ Bwaa ha ha ha
We could put all the work in Texas, Arizona, California and Nevada so the illegal aliens don't have to walk so far. Mexico votes yes on that bill.
About all that stimulus money going to infrastructure? What did it come to - 3% of money spent?
(Disclosure: this figure does not include the Chinese made road signs provided by Obama's Chicago buddy that campaign/brag about how Obama's money, I mean your federal stimulus dollars are being used.)
Adams 101, I work construction try 40 yrs in the skilled trades (union oh my), we are the people Ronnie Raygun was trying to destroy but failed to do so. Oh by the way we are in the process of organizing the very people you and your ilk are fear mongering about, so when you get that urge to express your unqualified and inexperienced opinion do some fact checking sport. I will bet you probably were one of them that posted about the Jones act..lol. Oh by the way if we use the Liar Kings numbers its 40 cagillion illegals.
Yeah I used to be in the unions too. Both parties are destroying them with their stand on illegal aliens. The Democrats can't get enough illegals in this country fast enough.
That is until the illegals destroyed every one of them in California. Southern CA, which in population is as large as several midwest states put together, is infested by them like roaches. First went the landscaping, then carpet laying, then house framing, then ship building unions like weldors, shipfitters, chippers etc etc etc. The federal government even let them into training programs to take the jobs at 1/3 of union wages. Anything that you don't have to read blueprints or other highly technical information for is toast and paying 1/3 of what it should. The only union jobs are federal government projects and they are few.
I watched them all disappear like an ice cream melting in the sun. Year after year industry after industry and job after job. I watched all my friends lose their businesses then move to Washington, Oregon etc starting over again to get away from the Mexican labor invasion so don't lay that crap on me.
You must live in Mississippi or something where white unions still exist quietly enforced by the KKK and skinheads. Where white people can own a small business doing construction type work and even bring their children into the business. Well that balloon is popped and gone forever in the Western US.
Illegals are just getting to the midwest and at the current rate will very quickly destroy that union market too. Both parties would love to knock the current wages down to 1/3 or less putting the extra money into the pockets of the the company owners who in turn throw money at both parties.
The only strong unions anymore are government unions which are a total conflict of interest and should not exist.
bobo18- prove it
No proof on more illegals. Actually the opposite is true in the last few years. 10 years ago 850K were crossing over. Now on 300K. Brewer is just doing this to line her pockets with CCA money. Watch Rachel Maddow. She did a report on it on tonights show. Brewer even quit advertising with the highest rated TV show on CBS in Phoenix because they are doing investigative reporting on her abuse of power with ties to CCA. Brewer is scum of the highest caliber. She may give the governors seat to Goddard because of her obvious abuse of power. Her lobbyist for CCA and advisor confirmed the reason for stopping advertising with CBS was the investigative reporting. Someone may be going to jail soon.
Adams101, I have worked in 4 foreign countries and 29 states, wherever the right to work for less baloney was passed the tidal wave you are talking about has happened to a certain extent, however the abuses you are talking about were brought on by the GOBP corporate cronies like the Cock brothers and a downgrade and denigration of the building trade union movement and membership in it which is a lifelong commitment. Do you own a passport? You keep talking Mexico, Well silly rabbit the green card workers will come from the Philippines, S.Korea, Pakistan etc...oh no run for your lives the dems will let even the metal munching moon mice in..lol. The strong union comment..well is pure Liar King BULL$H!T.
jobama72
Oh yes, all the countries in the world have 20 million illegals dancing back and forth across their borders with the immigration police pass out free bottled water and lunches. By right to work state that does not mean the entire globe has the right to work in that state. It means an employer and employee can severe their relationship at anytime.
Whoever brought it on many years ago is a bit irrelivant. Both parties are heartily embracing illegal immigration. Neither corrupted party can get enough of them. NOBODY passed anything making the US a place where the entire globe can blaze in here and crash the working wages stealing jobs. It is ILLEGAL and against the law for very good reasons. It will stay that way too.
Unfortunately, that is the desires of their lobby interests and not the taxpayers of this country. It is called bribery and collusion moving right into racketeering. It is not approved by the laws of this land or the taxpayers. It is being shoveled down our throats by corrupt party politicians and greedy corporations who could care less if the entire US labor market crashes.
Right now this country has over 10% "publicized" unemployment which is more realistically 15%. Not to mention double that or more for legal taxpaying citizens who are minorities or over 45 years old. We need the jobs and are not in the "global charity" business right now. You and your buddies will have to hop on over to your fifth country where they are looking to import millions of foreign people to take jobs from the existing legal population. Good Luck!!
lmao, its not 20 mil its 20 cagillion according to Beck University. Do you own a passport??
Pretty feeble reply. I guess you are out of intellectual ammo or can't write enough english to say any more.
I am an Hispanic Voter Nobody Tell Me or Suggest Me How To Vote It Is My Constitutional LEGAL Right.
I won't "misdirect" my vote. I won't vote "stupidly". I will vote to better the country not to destroy the country. I won't vote according to special interests. I will vote according to my conscience.
Israel and the Palestinian Authority will never get along, I wish they would quit wasting time and resources on it and concentrate on our problems domestically before we have a West Bank right here at home.
What's with the jew pointing his finger at our President??? We sholud be telling him what's up. He don't like playing by our rules cut off the aid. He needs us we don't need him & his people.