Obama reaffirms "ironclad" commitment to Israel's security

U.S. President Barack Obama on Sunday reaffirmed "ironclad" U.S. commitment to Israel' security, vowing to maintain its "qualitative military edge."

Obama stated his stand at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the largest pro-Israel lobby in the United States, after his vision of Israeli-Palestinian peace based on territory and security drew fire, including from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Obama told his audience that in his Friday meeting with Netanyahu at the White House, "we reaffirmed that fundamental truth that has guided our presidents and prime ministers for more than 60 years that, even while we may at times disagree, as friends sometimes will, the bonds between the United States and Israel are unbreakable, and the commitment of the United States to the security of Israel is ironclad."

He said that a "strong and secure" Israel is in the national security interest of the U.S. because the two countries share strategic interests, face common dangers and share the same values.

"We also know how difficult that search for security can be, especially for a small nation like Israel in a tough neighborhood, " he said. "So make no mistake, we will maintain Israel's qualitative military edge."

Obama said he was not entirely surprised that his vision of Israeli-Palestinian peace generated some controversy over the past few days.

Netanyahu told Obama flatly that Israel cannot go back to the 1967 lines with the Palestinians as Obama envisioned in his speech a day earlier, in which the president called on the Israelis and Palestinians to negotiate a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders "with mutually agreed swaps," so that "secure and recognized borders are established for both states." Netanyahu said the lines are "indefensible."

Obama said by definition, his reference to "the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps" means that the parties themselves -- the Israelis and Palestinians -- will negotiate a border that is different than the one that existed on June 4, 1967.

In the six-day war that broke out after the day, Israel annexed East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

"It is a well-known formula to all who have worked on this issue for a generation," Obama said. "It allows the parties themselves to account for the changes that have taken place over the last forty-four years, including the new demographic realities on the ground and the needs of both sides. The ultimate goal is two states for two peoples."

He added: "If there's a controversy, then, it's not based in substance. What I did on Thursday was to say publicly what has long been acknowledged privately. I have done so because we cannot afford to wait another decade, or another two decades, or another three decades, to achieve peace. The world is moving too fast. The extraordinary challenges facing Israel would only grow. Delay will undermine Israel's security and the peace that the Israeli people deserve."

He pointed to three facts that must be confronted by all.

-- First, the number of Palestinians living west of the Jordan River is growing rapidly and fundamentally reshaping the demographic realities of both Israel and the Palestinian territories. "This will make it harder and harder -- without a peace deal -- to maintain Israel as both a Jewish state and a democratic state," Obama said.

-- Second, technology will make it harder for Israel to defend itself in the absence of a genuine peace.

-- Third, a new generation of Arabs is reshaping the region. "A just and lasting peace can no longer be forged with one or two Arab leaders," Obama observed. "Going forward, millions of Arab citizens have to see that peace is possible for that peace to be sustained."

Obama noted that as the context has changed in the Middle East as well as in the international community over the last several years, there is a reason why the Palestinians are pursuing their statehood at the United Nations. "They recognize that there is an impatience with the peace process, or the absence of one," he said. "Not just in the Arab World, but in Latin America, in Europe and in Asia. That impatience is growing, and is already manifesting itself in capitals around the world."

He reiterated that the core issues can only be negotiated in direct talks between the parties, and that the U.S. will continue to demand Hamas, who has reached a reconciliation agreement with the mainstream Fatah faction, to accept the basic responsibilities of peace -- recognizing Israel's right to exist, rejecting violence, and adhering to all existing agreements.

But he vowed to stand up against efforts to "single Israel out" at the UN or in any international forum, adding that "no vote at the United Nations will ever create an independent Palestinian state."

He pledged to continue to work to prevent Iran, which is seen by Israel as its arch foe, from acquiring nuclear weapons and supporting terrorism across the region.

King Abdullah II of Jordan warned on Sunday of another war " whenever we accept the status quo."

"If you look to the past 10 years, every two to two-and-a-half years there's either the intifada (uprising) or a war or a conflict," he told the ABC TV network's "This Week" program. "So looking back over the past 12 years, my experience shows me that if we ignore the Israeli-Palestinian issue, something will burst."

The king joined the launch of Israeli-Palestinian direct talks in early September last year in Washington, but the talks collapsed two weeks later due to Israel's refusal to back down on the issue of settlement building on the West Bank. He stressed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as the "core issue" of the Middle East when he met with Obama at the White House on Tuesday.

http://english.sina.com/world/2011/0522/374405.html


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