WASHINGTON, May 28 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack
Obama on Thursday urged Israel to freeze Jewish settlement expansion,
reiterating Washington's support for establishing a Palestinian state.
U.S. President Barack Obama is reflected
twice in a mirror as he participates in a Democratic party fundraiser at
the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles May 27, 2009.(Xinhua/Reuters
Photo) Photo
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After meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud
Abbas in the White House, Obama told reporters that Israel "must meet
obligations" to halt Jewish settlements activities in the West Bank, and that
Israel would recognize the two-state solution in its security interests.
Obama's hard message to Israel came a day after the
Netanyahu-led government dismissed Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's
call to freeze all Jewish settlement activities in the West Bank.
President Obama also urged the Palestinian side to
stop anti-Israel violence and incitement, which the Palestinians have committed
to do under a 2003 Road map peace initiative. "I'm a strong believer in a
two-state solution," said the president, adding that he was confident that the
peace process could be moved forward if all the parties will meet the
obligations that they've committed to do.
Obama said that he would not set an artificial' timetable
for the establishment of a Palestinian state. President Abbas has said he will
not resume peace talks with the Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu
until it stops settlement activities and accept the two-state solution.
WASHINGTON, May 28 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama, who has vowed to push forward the Middle East peace process, met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday, pledging to help realize the dream of "Palestinians and Israelis living side by side in peace and security." Full story
WASHINGTON, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Highlighting his belief in the two-state
solution, U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday said he was confident of
progress in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
"I am confident that we can move this process forward, if
all the parties are willing to take on the responsibilities and meet the
obligations that they've already committed to," said the president, following a
summit with his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas in the White House.
Full story
JERUSALEM, May 23 (Xinhua)
-- Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya'alon said Saturday that the
construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank will not be halted.
"Settlements are not the reason that the peace process is
failing, they were never an obstacle, not at any stage," Ya'alon was quoted by
Israeli Channel 2 as saying. "Even when Israel pulled out of (Palestinian)
territory, the terror continued." Full story
JERUSALEM, May 28 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may have found more common ground for Middle East
policy following their meeting in Washington than has so far been speculated,
analysts said.
"Obama is a friend of Israel who will maintain the ethos
of Israeli-American friendship from the two prior administrations," Uri Savir,
Israel's chief negotiator of the Oslo accords and president of the Peres Center
for Peace, said in an opinion piece. Full story
