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Mideast leaders talk peace at White House
WASHINGTON, -- U.S. President Barack Obama welcomed key players in the latest round of Middle East peace talks to a White House dinner in Washington Wednesday.
Speaking to an audience that included Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordanian King Abdullah II, Obama said the leaders were heirs to "statesmen who saw the world as it was but also imagined the world as it should be."
"It is their work that we carry on," he said. "Now, like each of them, we must ask, do we have the wisdom and the courage to walk the path of peace?"
Netanyahu said Israel's goal in the talks is not "a brief interlude between two wars."
"We seek a peace that will end the conflict between us once and for all," he said.
"But every peace begins with leaders," the Israeli leader said. "President Abbas, you are my partner in peace. And it is up to us, with the help of our friends, to conclude the agonizing conflict between our peoples and to afford them a new beginning."
Abbas promised the Palestinian Authority "will spare no effort and will work diligently and tirelessly to ensure that these new negotiations achieve their goals and objectives in dealing with all of the issues: Jerusalem, refugees, settlements, border security, water, as well as the release of all our prisoners -- in order to achieve peace."
Earlier Wednesday, in a Rose Garden statement before the working dinner -- which also included U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Quartet representative Tony Blair -- Obama urged Israelis and Palestinians to "seize the opportunity" and forge a lasting peace agreement.
Formal direct talks were set to get under way Thursday, the first face-to-face negotiations in two years.
"Our goal is a two-state solution that ends the conflict and ensures the rights of Israelis and Palestinians," Obama said following a round of bilateral meetings with peace summit participants.
Obama criticized nations that say they want peace in the Middle East but have been unwilling to push the peace process forward.
"Too much blood has been shed, too many lives have been lost, too many hearts have been broken," Obama said.
Earlier, following talks with Netanyahu, Obama forcefully condemned as "senseless slaughter" Tuesday's drive-by shooting in Hebron that left four Israelis dead.
"I want everybody to be very clear," he said. "The United States is going to be unwavering in support of Israel's security and we are going to push back against these kinds of terrorist activities. And so the message should go out to Hamas and everybody else who is taking credit for these heinous crimes that this is not going to stop us from not only ensuring a secure Israel but also securing a longer lasting peace with the people throughout the region."
Obama called his meeting with Netanyahu "very productive" and said after meeting with Abbas that "progress" is being made.
Among the many obstacles to success of the talks is the Sept. 26 expiration of a 10-month moratorium on construction at West Bank settlements. Palestinians view it as a roadblock to statehood. The status of Jerusalem is also in question.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Israel's Haaretz newspaper his country is ready to cede parts of Jerusalem in a peace deal. Barak said Jerusalem's Arab neighborhoods would be included in a Palestinian state.
WASHINGTON, -- U.S. President Barack Obama welcomed key players in the latest round of Middle East peace talks to a White House dinner in Washington Wednesday.
Speaking to an audience that included Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordanian King Abdullah II, Obama said the leaders were heirs to "statesmen who saw the world as it was but also imagined the world as it should be."
"It is their work that we carry on," he said. "Now, like each of them, we must ask, do we have the wisdom and the courage to walk the path of peace?"
Netanyahu said Israel's goal in the talks is not "a brief interlude between two wars."
"We seek a peace that will end the conflict between us once and for all," he said.
"But every peace begins with leaders," the Israeli leader said. "President Abbas, you are my partner in peace. And it is up to us, with the help of our friends, to conclude the agonizing conflict between our peoples and to afford them a new beginning."
Abbas promised the Palestinian Authority "will spare no effort and will work diligently and tirelessly to ensure that these new negotiations achieve their goals and objectives in dealing with all of the issues: Jerusalem, refugees, settlements, border security, water, as well as the release of all our prisoners -- in order to achieve peace."
Earlier Wednesday, in a Rose Garden statement before the working dinner -- which also included U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Quartet representative Tony Blair -- Obama urged Israelis and Palestinians to "seize the opportunity" and forge a lasting peace agreement.
Formal direct talks were set to get under way Thursday, the first face-to-face negotiations in two years.
"Our goal is a two-state solution that ends the conflict and ensures the rights of Israelis and Palestinians," Obama said following a round of bilateral meetings with peace summit participants.
Obama criticized nations that say they want peace in the Middle East but have been unwilling to push the peace process forward.
"Too much blood has been shed, too many lives have been lost, too many hearts have been broken," Obama said.
Earlier, following talks with Netanyahu, Obama forcefully condemned as "senseless slaughter" Tuesday's drive-by shooting in Hebron that left four Israelis dead.
"I want everybody to be very clear," he said. "The United States is going to be unwavering in support of Israel's security and we are going to push back against these kinds of terrorist activities. And so the message should go out to Hamas and everybody else who is taking credit for these heinous crimes that this is not going to stop us from not only ensuring a secure Israel but also securing a longer lasting peace with the people throughout the region."
Obama called his meeting with Netanyahu "very productive" and said after meeting with Abbas that "progress" is being made.
Among the many obstacles to success of the talks is the Sept. 26 expiration of a 10-month moratorium on construction at West Bank settlements. Palestinians view it as a roadblock to statehood. The status of Jerusalem is also in question.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Israel's Haaretz newspaper his country is ready to cede parts of Jerusalem in a peace deal. Barak said Jerusalem's Arab neighborhoods would be included in a Palestinian state.