I think we have ways to capitalize on this sense of urgency, and we're prepared to move with the President and with others in the Arab world if they're prepared to move as well. And I think the important thing that we discussed, among other things, is how to buttress the Israeli-Palestinian peace tracks, which we want to resume right away, with participation from others in the Arab world, how we give confidence to each other that we're changing the reality, changing the reality on the ground, changing political realities top-down as well, while we work to broaden the circle of peace. So I think that the sense of urgency that King Abdullah expressed is shared by me and shared by many others, and I definitely know it's shared by President Obama.
President Obama. Look, I think there's an extraordinary opportunity, and the Prime Minister said it well. You have Arab States in the region--the Jordanians, the Egyptians, the Saudis--who, I think, are looking for an opportunity to break this long-standing impasse but aren't sure how to do it and share concerns about Iran's potential development of a nuclear weapon. In order for us to, potentially, realign interests in the region in a constructive way, "bolstering," to use the Prime Minister's word, the Palestinian-Israeli peace track is critical.
It will not be easy. It never has been easy. In discussions, I don't think the Prime Minister would mind me saying to him--or saying publically what I said privately, which is that there is a recognition that the Palestinians are going to have to do a better job providing the kinds of security assurances that Israelis would need to achieve a two-state solution; that, you know, the leadership of the Palestinians will have to gain additional legitimacy and credibility with their own people and delivering services. And that's something that the United States and Israel can be helpful in seeing them accomplish.
The other Arab States have to be more supportive and be bolder in seeking potential normalization with Israel. And next week, I will have the Palestinian Authority President, Abbas, as well as President Mubarak, here, and I will deliver that message to them.
Now, Israel is going to have to take some difficult steps as well. And I shared with the Prime Minister the fact that under the roadmap and under Annapolis that there's a clear understanding that we have to make progress on settlements, that settlements have to be stopped in order for us to move forward. That's a difficult issue. I recognize that, but it's an important one, and it has to be addressed.
I think the humanitarian situation in Gaza has to be addressed. Now, I was along the border in Sderot and saw the evidence of weapons that had been raining down on the heads of innocents in those Israeli cities, and that's unacceptable. And so we've got to work with the Egyptians to deal with the smuggling of weapons, and it has to be meaningful, because no prime minister of any country is going to tolerate missiles raining down on their citizens' heads.
On the other hand, the fact is, is that if the people of Gaza have no hope, if they can't even get clean water at this point, if the border closures are so tight that it is impossible for reconstruction and humanitarian efforts to take place, then that is not going to be a recipe for Israel's long-term security or a constructive peace track to move forward.
So all these things are going to have to come together, and it's going to be difficult, but the one thing that I've committed to the Prime Minister is, we are going to be engaged. The United States is going to roll up our sleeves; we want to be a strong partner in this process.
I have great confidence in Prime Minister Netanyahu's political skills, but also his historical vision and his recognition that during the years that he is Prime Minister this second go-around, he is probably going to be confronted with as many important decisions about the long-term strategic interests of Israel as any Prime Minister that we've seen in a very long time. And I have great confidence that he's going to rise to the occasion, and I actually think that you're going to see movement in--among Arab States that we have not seen before.
But the trick is to try to coordinate all this in a very delicate political environment. And that's why I'm so pleased to have George Mitchell, who is standing behind the scrum there, as our special envoy, because I'm very confident that as somebody who was involved in equally delicate negotiations in Northern Ireland, he is somebody who recognizes that if you apply patience and determination and you keep your eye on the long-term goal that the Prime Minister articulated, which is a wide-ranging peace, not a grudging peace, not a transitory peace, but a wide-ranging, regional peace, that we can make great progress. Okay?
Israel/Iran/Palestinian Authority
【免费咨询报名电话：010-6801 7975】
咨询报名MSN:xueliedu@hotmail.com
试一试网上报名
咨询报名QQ：
| 1505847972 | 1256358232 | 1363884583 | 1902839745 | 800072298 | 754854002 |
| 中专升大专 | 中专升本科 | 高升专 | 高升本 | 专升本 | 自考 |
报名咨询在线MSN：
