Obama to the UN General Assembly: An Independent, Sovereign Palestinian State Possible Next Year, 2011

Obama to the UN General Assembly:
An Independent, Sovereign Palestinian State Possible Next Year, 2011

The President to the UN General Assembly: "We Can Say That This Time Will Be Different"

The White House Website,

September 23, 2010 at 10:27 AM EDT

At the beginning of the President’s speech this morning to the United Nations General Assembly, the President spoke first of the great challenges facing America – an economy only now being brought back from the brink of total disaster, and defeating Al Qaeda. He spoke of what’s been done on both fronts, from international cooperation on financial stability, to withdrawal from Iraq and refocusing on Afghanistan – “There is much to show for our efforts, even as there is much more work to be done,” he said. He spoke also about the ongoing international commitment to hold Iran accountable on its nuclear program. And he concluded his speech with a focus on human rights, a forceful denunciation of tyranny, and a call for the world to come together for global development as he described yesterday.

But the bulk of his speech was on a topic that saw a spark of hope a few weeks ago here at the White House:

And we all have a choice to make. Each of us must choose the path of peace. Of course, that responsibility begins with the parties themselves, who must answer the call of history. Earlier this month at the White House, I was struck by the words of both the Israeli and Palestinian leaders. Prime Minister Netanyahu said, “I came here today to find a historic compromise that will enable both people to live in peace, security, and dignity.” And President Abbas said, “We will spare no effort and we will work diligently and tirelessly to ensure these negotiations achieve their cause.”

These words must now be followed by action and I believe that both leaders have the courage to do so. But the road that they have to travel is exceedingly difficult, which is why I call upon Israelis and Palestinians -- and the world -- to rally behind the goal that these leaders now share. We know that there will be tests along the way and that one test is fast approaching. Israel’s settlement moratorium has made a difference on the ground and improved the atmosphere for talks.

And our position on this issue is well known. We believe that the moratorium should be extended. We also believe that talks should press on until completed. Now is the time for the parties to help each other overcome this obstacle. Now is the time to build the trust -- and provide the time -- for substantial progress to be made. Now is the time for this opportunity to be seized, so that it does not slip away.

Now, peace must be made by Israelis and Palestinians, but each of us has a responsibility to do our part as well. Those of us who are friends of Israel must understand that true security for the Jewish state requires an independent Palestine -- one that allows the Palestinian people to live with dignity and opportunity. And those of us who are friends of the Palestinians must understand that the rights of the Palestinian people will be won only through peaceful means -- including genuine reconciliation with a secure Israel.

I know many in this hall count themselves as friends of the Palestinians. But these pledges of friendship must now be supported by deeds. Those who have signed on to the Arab Peace Initiative should seize this opportunity to make it real by taking tangible steps towards the normalization that it promises Israel.

And those who speak on behalf of Palestinian self-government should help the Palestinian Authority politically and financially, and in doing so help the Palestinians build the institutions of their state.

Those who long to see an independent Palestine must also stop trying to tear down Israel. After thousands of years, Jews and Arabs are not strangers in a strange land. After 60 years in the community of nations, Israel’s existence must not be a subject for debate.

Israel is a sovereign state, and the historic homeland of the Jewish people. It should be clear to all that efforts to chip away at Israel’s legitimacy will only be met by the unshakeable opposition of the United States. And efforts to threaten or kill Israelis will do nothing to help the Palestinian people. The slaughter of innocent Israelis is not resistance -- it’s injustice. And make no mistake: The courage of a man like President Abbas, who stands up for his people in front of the world under very difficult circumstances, is far greater than those who fire rockets at innocent women and children.

The conflict between Israelis and Arabs is as old as this institution. And we can come back here next year, as we have for the last 60 years, and make long speeches about it. We can read familiar lists of grievances. We can table the same resolutions. We can further empower the forces of rejectionism and hate. And we can waste more time by carrying forward an argument that will not help a single Israeli or Palestinian child achieve a better life. We can do that.

Or, we can say that this time will be different -- that this time we will not let terror, or turbulence, or posturing, or petty politics stand in the way. This time, we will think not of ourselves, but of the young girl in Gaza who wants to have no ceiling on her dreams, or the young boy in Sderot who wants to sleep without the nightmare of rocket fire.

This time, we should draw upon the teachings of tolerance that lie at the heart of three great religions that see Jerusalem’s soil as sacred. This time we should reach for what’s best within ourselves. If we do, when we come back here next year, we can have an agreement that will lead to a new member of the United Nations -- an independent, sovereign state of Palestine, living in peace with Israel. (Applause.)

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Obama presses for Mideast peace in UN address

By MATTHEW LEE Associated Press Writer

Sep 23, 2010, 12:33 PM EDT

New York, UNITED NATIONS (AP) --

Exhorting world leaders to push past years of cynicism and pessimism, President Barack Obama challenged the countries of the United Nations on Thursday to unite around peace efforts that he said could achieve agreement within a year to create an independent Palestine and a secure Israel.

Obama, in a speech to the U.N. General Assembly, urged fellow world leaders to press forward with renewed determination in the quest for Mideast peace, an effort that he acknowledged has encountered "few peaks and many valleys."

Without an agreement, he said, "more blood will be shed" and "this Holy Land will remain a symbol of our differences, instead of our common humanity."

As Obama spoke, Israel's seat in the hall sat empty because it was a Jewish holiday. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was present, listening to the president through a translator's earphone. Obama's call for a Palestinian state drew a burst of applause from throughout the hall.

Obama's one-year timeline is ambitious even if the Mideast peace process faced the best of circumstances, which it does not. He made no mention of the militant Hamas movement, which controls the Gaza Strip and refuses to accept Israel's right to exist.

The failure of past peace efforts has left both sides with rigid demands and public ambivalence about the value of a negotiated settlement.

Obama spoke with resolve of the need to address trouble spots around the world, but he tended first to the economic concerns that abound both at home and abroad.

"There is much to show for our efforts," he said, recalling the economic turmoil of years past. "We cannot - and will not - rest until these seeds of progress grow into a broader prosperity for all Americans and for people around the globe."

On a pressing security issue, Obama defended his administration's approach to engaging Iran in negotiations over its nuclear program - an effort that has failed thus far. In July the administration imposed a new set of sanctions on Iran.

"The door remains open to diplomacy should Iran choose to walk through it," he said. "But the Iranian government must demonstrate a clear and credible commitment and confirm to the world the peaceful intent of its nuclear program."

Iran recently has indicated interest in restarting talks with the West, and on Wednesday the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany offered Iran another chance to enter negotiations.

Obama also spoke to the promotion of human rights, open government and democracy - familiar themes from a president who has pushed for international cooperation against repression and tyranny.

"Make no mistake: The ultimate success of democracy in the world won't come because the United States dictates it. It will come because individual citizens demand a say in how they are governed," he said. "There is no soil where this cannot take root."

Obama drew applause in mentioning U.N. efforts to protect the rights of women, and he urged all nations to act against oppression.

"Do not stand idly by, don't be silent when dissidents everywhere are imprisoned and protesters are beaten," he said.

The president devoted his greatest attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, underscoring the urgency of overcoming the hurdles that he has met less than a month after relaunching direct negotiations between the parties.

Abbas is threatening to walk out of the talks if Israel does not extend a slowdown on construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank that is set to expire next week. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will not extend that partial freeze.

The looming expiration appears to have stalled the negotiations, which got under way in early September in Washington between Abbas and Netanyahu and then moved to a second round in Egypt and in Jerusalem last week. That second round ended inconclusively with little visible progress and without the expected announcement of a third session.

Obama underscored the administration's position that the settlement moratorium should be extended, saying it "has made a difference on the ground, and improved the atmosphere for talks."

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and the administration's special Middle East peace envoy George Mitchell have been meeting with officials from both sides and other interested parties this week in New York but seem to have made little headway.

Faced with the real possibility of the collapse of negotiations, Obama implored the international community to get behind the idea of peace and forget favoritism to one side or the other.

"Those of us who are friends of Israel must understand that true security for the Jewish state requires an independent Palestine," he said. "And those of us who are friends of the Palestinians must understand that the rights of the Palestinian people will be won only through peaceful means - including genuine reconciliation with a secure Israel."

Obama urged the U.N. in its 60th year to look beyond past Middle East peace failures and get on with the task at hand.

"We can come back here, next year, as we have for the last 60, and make long speeches about it," he said. "We can read familiar lists of grievances. We can table the same resolutions. We can further empower the forces of rejectionism and hate."

"Or we can say that this time will be different, that this time we will not let terror or turbulence or posturing or petty politics stand in the way."

Obama's speech came amid a three-day U.N.-dominated trip to New York, where the president was meeting privately with the leaders of China, Japan, Colombia, Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan. In addition, he was to host Southeast Asian leaders and attend a meeting aimed at preventing renewed civil war in Sudan.

At his meeting with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Obama praised China's leaders for "openness and cooperation" on issues including the economy, nuclear nonproliferation and regional security. But he said that more cooperation and "frank discussions" will be needed to achieve sustained economic growth. The meeting played out at a time when the two powers have been quarreling over military, trade and diplomatic matters.

Wen, for his part, said the two countries' "common interests far outweigh our differences."

(This version CORRECTS 'no' to 'not' in Obama quote in 14th paragraph.)

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