Secretary Clinton on the Middle East
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Marrakech, Morocco

November 2, 2009
www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2009a/11/131187.htm

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Secretary Clinton delivered the following remarks Monday morning at a camera
spray upon meeting with Moroccan Foreign Minister Fassi-Fihri in Marrakech,
Morocco:

For 40 years, successive American administrations of both parties have
opposed Israel's settlement policy. That is absolutely a fact.

And the Obama Administration's position on settlements is clear,
unequivocal. It has not changed. And as the President has said on many
occasions, the United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued
Israeli settlements. Now, the Israelis have responded to the call from the
United States, the Palestinians and the Arab world to stop settlement
activity by expressing a willingness to restrain settlement activity. They
will build no new settlements, expropriate no land, allow no new
construction or approvals.

And let me just say this offer falls far short of what we would characterize
as our position, or what our preference would be. But if it is acted upon,
it will be an unprecedented restriction on settlements and would have a
significant and meaningful effect on restraining their growth.

Let me take a step back because I want to put this into the broader context.
I will offer positive reinforcement to the parties when I believe they are
taking steps that support the objective of reaching a two-state solution.

I will also push them as I have in public and in private to do even more.
And in my report to the President last month, I talked about Israeli
willingness to restrain settlement activity as a positive step.

In the same report, I praised President Abbas' leadership of the Palestinian
Authority for their courage and the security measures on the West Bank. The
steps being taken under President Abbas and Prime Minister Fayed are also
unprecedented and we have never seen such effective security. I have on many
occasions going back - as you know in Sharm El Sheikh - praised the
accomplishments that the Palestinian Authority has demonstrated in building,
training, and reforming their security forces.

I told Prime Minister Netanyahu that these positive steps on the part of the
Palestinians should be met by positive steps from Israel - movement and
access, operations by the IDF and on Israeli security arrangements on the
West Bank. Israel has done a few things in that regard but they need to do
much more. And President Abbas has shown leadership and determination on
this issue and Israel should reciprocate.

I just want to clarify that what we are trying to achieve is a two-state
solution with a state that represents the aspirations of the Palestinian
people - the sovereignty and to have control over their own future, and
provide the security guarantees to Israel for their own future. That is my
goal. And when either party takes any steps that looks like it moves us in
the right direction - even if it is not what I would like or what I would
prefer - I'm going to positively reinforce that.

This is an opportunity for both sides to try to move forward together, to
get into negotiations, and to realize the goal that many of us around this
table have supported and worked for for many years.

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PRN: 2009/T14-25