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Obama urges Israeli PM to accept Palestine as a state
Jack Lefley19 May 2009
The US President has urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept a Palestinian state.
At their first meeting since they both came to power Barack Obama again made clear his support for a two-state solution. He said that Israel was obliged to stop the construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank under the 2003 “road map” for peace.
But Mr Netanyahu stopped short of endorsing a Palestinian state, saying only that he was prepared to begin peace talks “immediately”. He said Israel was prepared to exist “side by side” with Palestinians, but insisted that any deal would depend on their acceptance of Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state.
After a two-hour meeting at the Oval Office, the US President said he had told Mr Netanyahu that Israel must move quickly to resume peace talks with the Palestinians and insisted negotiations start from a previous agreement on the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
“We have seen progress stalled on this front, and I suggested to the prime minister that he has a historic opportunity to get a serious movement on this,” Mr Obama said. “All parties involved have to take seriously obligations that they have previously agreed to.”
He added: “There is a clear understanding that we have to make progress on settlements; that settlements have to be stopped for us to move forward.”
The Israeli leader did not respond publicly to Mr Obama's demand for an end to the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and refused again to say he was ready to negotiate a “two-state” solution to the six-decade dispute with the Palestinians.
However, referring to Iran's nuclear position, Mr Netanyahu said: “There's never been a time when Arabs and Israelis see a common threat the way we see it today.”
Mr Obama had earlier said Iran had until the end of the year to get serious about curbing its nuclear plans. Palestinians praised Mr Obama but expressed disappointment with Mr
Netanyahu's remarks. Mr Netanyahu “did not mention a commitment to a two-state solution, and we need to see American action against this policy,” said Nabil Abu Rdeneh, an aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Reader views (6)
Before warning on Iran and nuclear weapons, the question of the nuclear weapons held by Israel needs to be addressed. Why have they got them and the only ones in the Middle East so far.
- Thomas Hayes, Leeds UK, 19/05/2009 22:22
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Alan Rex, you must believe in Santa Claus too. Just to get it all in perspective, the Caliphate of Jerusalem was the spiritual leader of the Arabs living in this region during the war, and he and his fellow Arabs sided with Hitler and the Nazis. There have always been Jews living in this region, indeed the Jews that fought for the British against Hitler were called the Palestinians, not becasue it was country, but because it was a region, like South West England is a region. And the Stern gang was an aberration that Haganah, the official Israeli resistance movement fought against and imprisoned for their crimes.
- Stephen Rothbart, Prague Czech Republic, 19/05/2009 22:18
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Stephen, Your views towards the indigenous people of Palestine are unfortunate. I understand why some countries have holocaust denial laws and I hope one day they will make it illegal for those to deny the legitimate rights of Palestinians to Palestine and the disgusting crimes committed against them over 61 years. I hope if the Israelis reject the 2 state solution then the Palestinians demand equal rights and the right to vote. Then we will see whether the Israelis and their supporters across the world continue the facade of calling Israel a democracy. As everyone knows, in a real democracy everyone has a legitimate right to vote. In fact, why they don't do this now and then rename the country and so on is beyond me. Obviously the Israelis will never agree to equal rights but at least we can stop hearing the baloney about it being a democracy. I agree with Jimmy Carter, its an apartheid state and should be labeled as such. Stephen, Palestine was a beacon of hope before the 'Irgun' terrorists killed British troops and Palestinian civilians. It was a land of hope and a beautiful country. Now it has become a land of hate full of Europeans and Americans. Fortunately history and dignity is on the side of the Palestinians. No country can ever hold its held high especially after its vicious killing of Palestinians in the david and Goliath seige of Gaza.
- Alan Rex, london, uk, 19/05/2009 17:31
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They should make Alan Rex head of the UN or at least Iran. It always amazes that people in the West take the side of homophobic, intolerant Islamic terorrists who rule by force and are in the middle of a violent civil war, over a democracy like Israel, which while certainly not perfect, gives more votes to Arabs than most Arab states give their own people. Israel tolerates churches and mosques inside their own country, while Churches and synagogues are almost unheard of in their neighbours lands. Finally, could Mr. Rex kindly tell us what passport, currency and borders this 'country' called Palestine had before 1947? The answer is he can't because these national characteristics never existed before Yassir Arafat made it all up in 1967.
- Stephen Rothbart, Prague Czech Republic, 19/05/2009 14:06
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The Israelites want the Palestioians to recognise the Jewish state. but so far have themselves ben unwilling to accept a Palestinian state. It is clear, that peace is far from their thoughts.
T H Leeds
- Thomas Hayes, Leeds UK, 19/05/2009 13:46
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I'm relieved that America has a President that can stand up against the bullying of the Pro-Isreali lobby. Isreal should be treated as a pariah state like its fellow aparthied state of South Africa was in the 1980's. The Isrealis are nothing without the military aid of the US and this should end. Barack along with the peaceful nations of the world should declare Palestine a country with Jerusalem its capital and open embassies there by the year end. Time for radical solutions to be imposed on a country which has never wanted peace just other pieces of land from other peoples.
- Alan Rex, London, UK, 19/05/2009 12:48
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