Obama urges Palestinians to resume peace talks with Israel despite settlement activity
Source: Washington Post
RAMALLAH, West Bank — President Obama urged Palestinian leaders Thursday to quickly resume peace negotiations with Israel, setting aside their condition that the Israeli government first stop building on land that the Palestinians view as part of their future state.
Later, in an address to the Israeli people at the Jerusalem Convention Center, Obama also called on Israelis to respect the Palestinians’ right to self-determination and justice.
“Put yourself in their shoes,” he said in a speech frequently interrupted by cheers from the audience of university students and once by a heckler. He urged Israelis to recognize that continued settlement construction in the West Bank “is counterproductive to the cause of peace.”
In a joint news conference with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Obama said that while the continued Israeli settlement activity is an obstacle to a peace accord, it should not prevent the Palestinians from returning to the negotiating table.
Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/obama-meets-with-palestinian-leadership-in-ramallah/2013/03/21/fa3738e6-920b-11e2-9cfd-36d6c9b5d7ad_story.html
"Polls and interviews show Israelis perceive President Obama as cool toward and tough on a longtime ally."
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"Be nice to those Republicans, work with them, even though they are bulldozing everything you've ever worked for" ...
