United States President Barack Obama speaks at the 66th United Nations General Assembly in the UN building in New York City on September 21, 2011. UPI/John Angelillo |
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UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 21 (UPI) -- Peace in the Middle East will be determined by Israel and Palestinians negotiating face to face, not by shortcuts, U.S. President Obama told the United Nations.
"I know many of you are frustrated by the lack of progress. I assure you so am I. The question isn't the goal that we seek. The question is how do we reach that goal," Obama said in his address to the U.N. General Assembly. "There is no shortcut to the end of a conflict that has endured for decades."
A lasting peace that ensures Israel's security and defines a state for Palestine won't come "through statements and resolutions at the U.N. If it were that easy, it would have been accomplished by now," Obama said, referring to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' plan to seek statehood unilaterally before the United Nations.
"Ultimately, it is Israelis and Palestinians who must live side by side. Ultimately, it is Israelis and Palestinians … who must reach agreement on the issues that divide them: on borders and security; on refugees and Jerusalem," Obama said. "Peace depends upon compromise among peoples who must live together long after our speeches are over, and our votes have been counted."
The United States seeks a future when Palestinians "live in a sovereign state of their own, with no limit to what they can achieve," the president said.
And, he said, "America's commitment to Israel's security is unshakable, and our friendship with Israel is deep and enduring. And so we believe that any lasting peace must acknowledge the very real security concerns that Israel faces every single day."
Each side has "legitimate aspirations," Obama said, which is what "makes peace so hard. And the deadlock will only be broken when each side learns to stand in each other's shoes."
The United Nations "must recognize the reality that is lived by both the Palestinians and the Israelis," Obama said.
"We will only succeed in that effort if we can encourage the parties to sit down together, to listen to each other, and to understand each other's hopes and fears," Obama said. "That is the project to which America is committed. And that is what the United Nations should be focused on in the weeks and months to come."
