From: Nowa Omoigui <nowa_o@yahoo.com>
Date: 21 September 2011 16:49
Subject: [OurWorldView] Obama tells U.N. he sees 'no shortcut' to Israeli-Palestinian peace
To: defsec@egroups.com
Obama tells U.N. he sees 'no shortcut' to Israeli-Palestinian peace
By William Branigin and Scott Wilson
WASHINGTON POST
President Obama told the United Nations on Wednesday that he is frustrated by lack of progress on Israeli-Palestinian peace, but he stressed that there is "no shortcut" to ending the conflict, and he called for understanding of each side's "legitimate aspirations."
Obama spoke ahead of a likely effort by the Palestinian Authority to seek U.N. recognition of a Palestinian state, an effort that the United States has vowed to veto in the U.N. Security Council, which must endorse the statehood bid before it goes to the General Assembly.
The statehood bid hasn't even happened yet and tensions in the West Bank are rising. The fear is that neither the Israelis nor Palestinian authorities can keep confrontations from escalating out of control.
But Obama made no direct reference to a U.S. veto, instead making the case that a resolution of the conflict can come only through negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians.
Recalling that he called for an independent Palestine when he addressed the U.N. General Assembly from the same podium a year ago, Obama said: "I know that many are frustrated by the lack of progress. I assure you, so am I. But the question isn't the goal we seek. The question is how to reach it. And I am convinced that there is no shortcut to the end of a conflict that has endured for decades."
He added: "Peace is hard work. Peace will not come through statements and resolutions at the U.N. If it were that easy, it would have been accomplished by now. Ultimately, it is Israelis and Palestinians who must live side by side. Ultimately, it is Israelis and Palestinians — not us — who must reach agreement on the issues that divide them: on borders and on security; on refugees and Jerusalem."
Obama called for "compromise," but stressed that "America's commitment to Israel's security is unshakable." Noting that Israel "is surrounded by neighbors that have waged repeated wars against it," he said, "friends of the Palestinians do them no favors by ignoring this truth, just as friends of Israel must recognize the need to pursue a two-state solution with a secure Israel next to an independent Palestine."
The truth "that each side has legitimate aspirations is what makes peace so hard," Obama said. "And the deadlock will only be broken when each side learns to stand in each other's shoes."
As he addressed the General Assembly, Obama was facing a vexing diplomatic challenge: to explain how his hopes of last year square with his opposition this year to the Palestinian bid for statehood.
Administration officials have explained Obama's opposition to the Palestinian bid at the United Nations in practical terms, arguing that a statehood resolution approved over the objection of Israel will only make it harder to return to direct peace talks over final borders, the status of Palestinian refugees and their descendants, and the future of Jerusalem.
But the administration's argument places it firmly outside the prevailing sentiment of the Middle East, swept up in the new freedoms of the Arab Spring.
Last week, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas announced that he will bring a statehood resolution to the Security Council, and administration officials reiterated Tuesday that the United States will veto the measure if needed.
U.S. diplomats are working to round up enough votes against the resolution to make a U.S. veto unnecessary, although it remains unclear whether a majority of the 15-member council will oppose a bid that is backed by most U.N. members.
Abbas appears determined to submit the Palestinian membership application to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday. But diplomats note that ensuing diplomatic maneuvering within the Security Council could delay a vote on the proposal for days, weeks or longer.
Obama planned to meet separately Wednesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Abbas.
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