The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release September 01, 2010 Remarks by the President in the
Rose Garden after Bilateral Meetings
WITH PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU OF ISRAEL,
PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS OF THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY,
HIS MAJESTY KING ABDULLAH OF JORDAN,
AND PRESIDENT HOSNI MUBARAK OF EGYPT

Rose Garden

5:27 P.M. EDT
www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/09/01/remarks-president-rose-garden-after-bilateral-meetings

THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, everybody.

Upon taking office, I declared that America is a friend of each nation and
every person who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that the United
States was ready to lead in pursuit of that future. At the beginning of my
administration, I stated that it was our policy to actively and aggressively
seek a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians, as well as a
comprehensive peace between Israel and all of its Arab neighbors. And to
support my outstanding Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton's leadership, I
appointed a special envoy and one of our nation's finest statesmen, former
Senator George Mitchell, to guide our efforts.

As I've said many times, our goal is a two-state solution that ends the
conflict and ensures the rights and security of both Israelis and
Palestinians. And despite the inevitable challenges, we have never wavered
in pursuit of this goal. I've met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on numerous
occasions. Between them, Secretary Clinton and Senator Mitchell have made
countless trips to the region.

Over the past year, both the Israeli government and the Palestinian
Authority have taken important steps to build confidence. And with Senator
Mitchell's support, Israelis and Palestinians have engaged in several rounds
of proximity talks -- even in the face of difficult circumstances. But we've
always made it clear that the only path to lasting peace between Israelis
and Palestinians is direct talks between Israelis and Palestinians.

Tomorrow, after nearly two years, the parties will relaunch those direct
talks.

Today, I had a series of very productive meetings with key partners in this
effort. I urged Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas to recognize
this as a moment of opportunity that must be seized. I thanked President
Mubarak of Egypt and His Majesty King Abdullah of Jordan, for their valuable
leadership and for the support that will be necessary going forward. And I
look forward to hosting these four leaders at a private working dinner at
the White House tonight.

I also want to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to many
friends and allies, especially our Quartet partners. And former Prime
Minister Tony Blair will be joining us as representing the Quartet at the
dinner this evening.

The purpose of these talks is clear. These will be direct negotiations
between Israelis and Palestinians. These negotiations are intended to
resolve all final status issues. The goal is a settlement, negotiated
between the parties, that ends the occupation which began in 1967 and
results in the emergence of an independent, democratic and viable
Palestinian state, living side by side in peace and security with a Jewish
state of Israel and its other neighbors. That's the vision we are pursuing.

Now, I know these talks have been greeted in some quarters with skepticism.
We are under no illusions. Passions run deep. Each side has legitimate and
enduring interests. Years of mistrust will not disappear overnight.
Building confidence will require painstaking diplomacy and trust by the
parties. After all, there's a reason that the two-state solution has eluded
previous generations -- this is extraordinarily complex and extraordinarily
difficult.

But we know that the status quo is unsustainable -- for Israelis, for
Palestinians, for the region and for the world. It is in the national
interests of all involved, including the United States, that this conflict
be brought to a peaceful conclusion.

So even as we are clear-eyed about the challenges ahead, so, too, do we see
the foundation for progress. The Israeli government and the Palestinian
Authority are already cooperating on a daily basis to increase security and
reduce violence, to build institutions and improve conditions on the ground.

Among the Israeli and Palestinian publics, there is wide support for a
two-state solution, the broad outlines of which are well known to both
peoples. And even in the midst of discord, ordinary Israelis and
Palestinians -- faith leaders, civil society groups, doctors, scientists,
businessmen, students -- find ways to work together every day. Their heroic
efforts at the grassroots show that cooperation and progress is possible and
should inspire us all.

In addition, Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas are two leaders
who I believe want peace. Both sides have indicated that these negotiations
can be completed within one year. And as I told each of them today, this
moment of opportunity may not soon come again -- they cannot afford to let
it slip away. Now is the time for leaders of courage and vision to deliver
the peace that their people deserve.

The United States will put our full weight behind this effort. We will be
an active and sustained participant. We will support those who make
difficult choices in pursuit of peace. But let me very clear. Ultimately
the United States cannot impose a solution, and we cannot want it more than
the parties themselves. There are enormous risks involved here for all the
parties concerned, but we cannot do it for them. We can create the
environment and the atmosphere for negotiations, but ultimately it's going
to require the leadership on both the Palestinian and the Israeli sides, as
well as those in the region who say they want a Palestinian state.

A lot of times I hear from those who insist that this is a top priority and
yet do very little to actually support efforts that could bring about a
Palestinian state.

So only Israelis and Palestinians can make the difficult choices and build
the consensus at home for progress. Only Israelis and Palestinians can
prove to each other their readiness to end this conflict and make the
compromises upon which lasting peace deserves.

What the rest of us can do, including the United States, is to support those
conversations, support those talks, support those efforts -- not try to
undermine them.

So the hard work is only beginning. Neither success nor failure is
inevitable. But this much we know: If we do not make the attempt, then
failure is guaranteed. If both sides do not commit to these talks in
earnest, then the longstanding conflict will only continue to fester and
consume another generation. And this we simply cannot allow.

We know that there will be moments that test our resolve. We know that
extremists and enemies of peace will do everything in their power to destroy
this effort -- as we saw in the heinous attacks near Hebron, which we have
strongly condemned. But we also know this: Too much blood has already been
shed. Too many lives have already been lost. Too many hearts have already
been broken.

And despite what the cynics say, history teaches us that there is a
different path. It is the path of resolve and determination, where
compromise is possible, and old conflicts, at long last, can end. It is the
path traveled by those who brought peace to their countries, from Northern
Ireland -- where Senator Mitchell was so deeply involved -- to the Balkans,
to Africa, Asia, to those who forged peace between Israel and Egypt and
Israel and Jordan.

This path is open to Israelis and Palestinians. If all sides persevere, in
good faith and with a sense of purpose and possibility, we can build a just,
lasting and comprehensive peace in the Middle East.

Thank you very much.

END
5:35 P.M. EDT