"Given the march of technology, the only way to truly protect the Israeli people is through the absence of war," Mr. Obama told a large crowd of mostly young Israelis at the Jerusalem Convention Center. "Because no wall is high enough, and no Iron Dome is strong enough, to stop every enemy from inflicting harm."
The crowd repeatedly cheered Mr. Obama's calls for a Palestinian state and his observations that Palestinian and Israeli youth have the same dreams.
He described a meeting earlier in the day with a group of Palestinians between the ages of 15 and 22. "Talking to them, they weren't that different from my daughters," he said. "They weren't that different from your daughters or sons."
The purpose of his public address to Israelis became clear when he said that politicians must be pushed by constituents to seek peace.
March 21, 2013, 11:53 a.m. ET
Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324103504578373924113848596.html?mod=WSJ_hps_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsThird
2 comments:
I, of course, agree with the President in his desire for peace in the middle east. However, I think he may be simplifying the issue a bit. The Israeli-Palestinian violence has been occurring for thousands of years. The conflicting religions have battled over the land Israel is situated on for such a long time and the rivalry is so deeply entrenched within the two cultures that I do not think a public appeal for politicians to pursue peace negotiations will have any real benefit. I think it would be more productive to begin to try to change the mentality of these groups so that they can one day peacefully coexist.
Obviously, I agree with Vinny in the hope for peace, however, it is going to be extremely difficult. I am happy to see that Obama's visit and speeches regarding this issue have made the leaders of Israel and Palestine to plan on opening up the peace talks. Of course, this is going to take a long time to resolve, but I think it's a (great) step in the right direction. Lets hope this can pay off. Also, I think Obama's visit is crucial for showing his support for Israel. Hopefully John Kerry can continue to open the door to these leaders handling this situation in a safe and friendly manner.
Post a Comment