"Now is the time for the parties to help each other overcome this obstacle. Now is the time to build the trust -- and provide the time -- for substantial progress to be made. Now is the time for this opportunity to be seized, so that it doesn't slip away," Obama said at the annual U.N. General Assembly debate.Read my lips, Barry: Israel is on the frontline of the war being waged against the infidel, the same one that's gone on in fits and starts for 1,400 years. The Palestinians have no desire to live side-by-side with an entity that, as per Islamic teachings, simply cannot be. The only time they will be able to manifest the "pride and dignity" of which you speak is when Israel has finally been wiped out, and the land can "revert" to its previous, "eternal" incarnation as a speck of Dar al Islam. As for your refusal to accept that coexistance is a chimera--you can stick it in the canal where your noggin currently reposes (assuming, of course, there's room in there for both which, given the size of your head, I tend to doubt).
World leaders, including Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, heard Obama set down his position for peace. However, the Israeli U.N. delegation was not present because it is Sukkot, a religious holiday in Israel and the Jewish world.
Obama touted the direct negotiations his administration has pursued between Israelis and Palestinians.
"Last year, I pledged my best efforts to support the goal of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security, as part of a comprehensive peace between Israel and all of its neighbors. We have traveled a winding road over the last 12 months, with few peaks and many valleys."
He scoffed at pessimism over the process and warned of the alternative if there is no peace agreement, saying the "hard realities of demography will take hold."
"Palestinians will never know the pride and dignity that comes with their own state. Israelis will never know the certainty and security that comes with sovereign and stable neighbors who are committed to coexistence," he said. "This Holy Land will remain a symbol of our differences instead of our common humanity."
And he emphasized that he refuses "to accept that future."...
Update: Jennifer Rubin writes:
I sure do miss the days when George W. Bush went to the UN, gritting his teeth and delivering speeches that appalled the representatives of despotic regimes. As one wit put it, he treated them as if they were mental patients or overly exuberant fans — keep your distance, get out quickly, and don’t take anything in writing from them. But alas, we have the president from Harvard by way of Hyde Park. The UN folks are his kind of people. He shares his bon mots with them. He shares his fondness for paper agreements and platitudes. Reality need play no role. He is in his element...
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