Obama, in delivering a passionate speech to 2000 enthusiastic Israelis, has urged the younger generation to take a central role in seeking peace with Palestine.
In exhorting them to empathize with their Palestinian neighbors, Obama said, “Speaking as a politician, I can promise you this: political leaders will not take risks if the people do not demand that they do. You must create the change that you want to see.”
In his speech, Obama also said that expulsion or occupation is the answer despite the doubts that Israelis have for a two-state solution. He also reiterated that the Palestinians also have the right to a home just as much as Israel does.
The President also visited the Israeli-occupied area of West Bank, also urged the Palestinians to resume negotiations with Israel. And despite the rocket attacks on Sderot, which the President condemned, he met with Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian National Authority, and asked him to consider the need for “both sides to think anew”.
Yet it’s clear that despite a hardened attitude towards the process of peace from both sides, Obama made a convincing case for Palestine to have their own state. Abbas seems ready to get back to the negotiating table while not taking such a strong stance on the halting of the building of settlements.
The President believes that the country can emerge from decades of isolation as a technology powerhouse and in keeping with its traditions as a nation if it decides to negotiate with Palestine.