This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/21/obama-strong-call-israel-palestinian-peace

The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Obama appeals to young Israelis in strong call for peace with Palestinians Obama calls on Israelis to be bold in seeking peace with Palestinians
(35 minutes later)
President Barack Obama made a powerful and passionate argument for peace between Israel and the Palestinians on Thursday, telling an audience of young Israelis that their generation bore responsibility for securing a secure, stable and democratic future for the conflict-ridden land. President Barack Obama made a powerful and impassioned argument for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, telling an audience of young Israelis that their generation bore responsibility for securing a secure, stable and democratic future for the conflict-ridden land.
In what was billed as the most important public speech ever to made by an American leader on the issue, Obama delivered a tough message to Israel, saying hard choices had to be faced and risks must be taken. In what was billed as the most important public speech ever made by an American leader on the issue, Obama delivered a tough message to Israel, saying hard choices had to be faced and risks must be taken.
"You can be the generation that permanently secures the Zionist dream, or you can face growing challenges to its future. The only way for Israel to endure and thrive as a Jewish and democratic state is through the realisation of an independent and viable Palestine," he said. "You can be the generation that permanently secures the Zionist dream, or you can face growing challenges to its future … The only way for Israel to endure and thrive as a Jewish and democratic state is through the realisation of an independent and viable Palestine," he said.
In a deliberate appeal to Israeli citizens over the head of their pro-settlement, compromise-averse government, he told the mainly student audience: "As a leader I can promise you, political leaders will never take risks unless their people push them." And in a deliberate appeal to Israeli citizens over the head of their pro-settlement, compromise-averse government, he told the mainly-student audience: "Speaking as a politician, I can promise you this: political leaders will not take risks if the people do not demand that they do. You must create the change that you want to see."
His unequivocal message was short on detail of how a deal, which has eluded the region for more than six decades, could be reached. But the emotional call for peace laid the ground for months – or years - of grinding but necessary diplomacy which secretary of state John Kerry will begin after Obama's departure from Jerusalem on Friday. His unequivocal message was strong on vision but short on detail of how a deal, which has eluded the region for more than six decades, could be reached. But the emotional call for peace laid the ground for months – or years – of grinding but necessary diplomacy which secretary of state John Kerry will begin after Obama's departure from Jerusalem on Friday.
Obama also reaffirmed Israel's strong bond with the United States and its support for the right of the Jewish state to exist: "Make no mistake: those who adhere to the ideology of rejecting Israel's right to exist might as well reject the earth beneath them and the sky above, because Israel is not going anywhere." The first half of the carefully crafted 50-minute speech was devoted to reassuring Israel that its security needs were paramount and paying tribute to the history of the Jewish people "through countless generations". Obama repeatedly reasserted the "unbreakable bonds of friendship" between Israel and the United States. "I want to tell you – particularly the young people – that so long as there is a United States of America, Ah-tem lo lah-vahd [You're not alone]."
In a wide-ranging speech, Obama attacked all of Israel's enemies: Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran. He said that the US was determined not to allow Iran to obtain a a nuclear weapon, and said "all options are on the table for achieving our objectives". But, he went on, "the only way to truly protect the Israeli people is through the absence of war – because no wall is high enough, and no Iron Dome is strong enough, to stop every enemy from inflicting harm".
Departing from his prepared text, Obama referred to young Palestinians he had met during his visit to the West Bank earlier in the day, saying he believed most ordinary Israeli parents would want them to succeed. "I want them to have opportunities just like my kids do," Obama said, to sustained applause. Peace was necessary, just and possible, he said. And in a direct contradiction of the oft-stated view of the Israeli leadership, he asserted: "you do have a true partner" in Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and prime minister Salam Fayyad.
Earlier in the day, Obama voiced opposition to Israeli settlement-building in the West Bank, but also pressed the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, to drop his demand for a freeze before Middle East peace talks can resume. Criticising hardliners on both sides, he said: "There will always be extremists who provide an excuse to not act. And there is something exhausting about endless talks about talks, the daily controversies and grinding status quo."
At a news conference with Abbas, Obama said he had "been clear" with the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, that Washington did not consider continued settlement activity to be constructive to "the cause of peace". Negotiations were necessary, but "there is little secret about where they must lead … two states for two peoples. There will be differences about how to get there, and hard choices along the way."
The president stopped short of calling for a halt to settlement expansion – a demand he had made early in his first term. He used the press conference with Abbas to signal his frustration over the failure of Israel and the Palestinians to find a way to resume talks stalled since 2010. Palestinians, he said, "must recognise that Israel will be a Jewish state, and that Israelis have the right to insist upon their security. Israelis must recognise that continued settlement activity is counterproductive to the cause of peace, and that an independent Palestine must be viable … that real borders will have to be drawn."
However, he offered no new ideas on how to get the two sides negotiating again, at a time when prospects for a peace deal are grim. "What I shared with President Abbas, and I'll share it with the Palestinian people: if the expectation is we can only have direct negotiations when everything is settled ahead of time, then there's no point in the negotiations," he said. The president acknowledged that not everyone in the hall or beyond would agree with his message, and that scepticism on both sides abounded.
"My argument is even though both sides may have areas of strong disagreement, may be engaging in activities that the other side thinks is a breach of good faith, we have to push through those things to try to get an agreement." But in a direct appeal to a young generation, he said: "Your voices must be louder than the extremists who would drown them out. Your hopes must light the way forward. Look to a future in which Jews, Muslims and Christians can all live in peace and greater prosperity in this Holy Land. Look to the future that you want for your own children – a future in which a Jewish, democratic state is protected and accepted, for this time and for all time."
He went on: "There will be many voices that say this change is not possible. But remember this: Israel is the most powerful country in this region. Israel has the unshakeable support of the most powerful country in the world. Israel has the wisdom to see the world as it is, but also the courage to see the world as it should be." Quoting Israel's first prime minister, David Ben Gurion, he said: "'In Israel, in order to be a realist you must believe in miracles.' Sometimes, the greatest miracle is recognising that the world can change."
Although the core of the speech focussed on the need for a peaceful resolution of the 65-year conflict, Obama was careful to address Israel's principal concerns in the region. He attacked the Jewish state's key enemies of Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, echoing Binyamin Netanyahu's assertions that the Iranian nuclear programme posed an existential threat to Israel.
Pledging that America would do what it must to prevent Iran acquiring nuclear weapons, he said: "When I consider Israel's security, I also think about a people who have a living memory of the Holocaust, faced with the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iranian government that has called for Israel's destruction. It's no wonder Israelis view this as an existential threat. But this is not simply a challenge for Israel … it is a danger for the entire world, including the United States."
The audience, energised by an early heckler who was swiftly ejected from the hall at Jerusalem's International Convention Centre, received Obama's message with cheers, applause, whistles and several standing ovations.
Outside the hall, Hagar Shilo, 23, a student at Tel Aviv university, said she was inspired by the president's words. "We loved it. He did his homework, he knew our culture, he made me feel more secure." But, she added, "some of us think we have a partner [for peace], some of us don't. We can't control the militants in Gaza." At least two rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel on Thursday for the first time since the end of the eight-day war in November.
Michal Sever, 16, also from Tel Aviv, said: "It was very touching that he sees us, he stands for us, and he says we're not alone. But he also focussed responsibility on our generation."
Earlier, at a joint press conference with Obama in Ramallah, the Palestinian president reiterated that a halt to settlement expansion was the key to progress towards a two-state solution. But, he added, he had a "renewed confidence that the United States … will help remove obstacles to achieving a just peace".