U.S. President Barack Obama welcomed statements made in Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s speech made at Bar-Ilan University on Sunday, as a sign that "we can restart serious talks" between Israel and its Arab neighbors.
Obama told reporters after meeting at the White House Monday with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, "Overall, I thought that there was positive movement in the prime minister's speech. He acknowledged the need for two states."
The American president noted, however, that "There were a lot of conditions." He reiterated his call for a halt to communities in Judea and Samaria and pointed out that Israel and the PA would "have to move in some politically difficult ways in order to achieve what is going to be in the long term interests" of both. "On the Israeli side that means a cessation of settlements," Obama said. He did not say what it would mean on the PA side.
"The president welcomes the important step forward in Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech," White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs had stated immediately following Sunday night's address. "The president is committed to two states, a Jewish State of Israel and an independent Palestine, in the historic homeland of both peoples. He believes this solution can and must ensure both Israel's security and the fulfillment of the Palestinians' legitimate aspirations for a viable state, and he welcomes Prime Minister Netanyahu's endorsement of that goal."
Verbal Arab Attack
The American praise of Netanyahu’s speech came in sharp contrast to the Arab world’s criticism of it.
A Syrian government official criticized the speech on Monday, calling Netanyahu’s position as “racist and destructive.” He considered the content of the speech as a “cruel violation” of the international community’s decision regarding the migration of Palestinian refugees. The official said, “It seems that there is no true Israeli will to establish peace.”
The Syrian official said that Netanyahu’s refusal to recognize Jerusalem as an Arab capital, his refusal to allow Palestinian refugees to settle in Israel, his insistence that Arab countries accept Israel as the Jewish State, and his opposition to a halt to construction in Judea and Samaria prevent peace.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has charged Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu with “complicating the situation further” and throwing obstacles in the way of establishing a Palestinian Authority state. Mubarak criticized Netanyahu in interviews with Arab media following Netanyahu's policy speech at Bar Ilan University on Sunday night.
He flatly stated that Egypt will not support the Israeli position, which repeats the policy of previous governments in rejecting the demand of the 2002 Saudi Arabian Peace Plan for the immigration into Israel of five million Arabs claiming Israeli ancestry.
Bill Clinton: Just the Beginning of the Show
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton told reporters at the United Nations that Netanyahu’s speech was "just the beginning, and it's a drama that will have a few more acts.” Although Netanyahu’s omission of promising to halt construction within Judea and Samaria disappointed Arab countries, Clinton remarked, “I think on balance you should feel pretty good about it even though the conditions would be completely unacceptable to the Palestinians at the moment.” Clinton said that he was speaking for himself, and hadn’t gotten his “talking points from the State Department this morning,” a reference to his wife, Hillary, who is U.S. Secretary of State.
Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, had emphasized prior to Netanyahu’s speech that no “natural growth” would be allowed for expansion within Judea and Samaria, including parts of Jerusalem.
Netanyahu: 'Disappointed'
Prime Minister Netanyahu told CBS News on Monday that he was "disappointed because I took a step, not an easy step. I suppose I'd like a better response [from the Arab nations]. And maybe it'll sink in over time. But I think I've opened the door for peace. And I hope that the Palestinians and the Arab world respond to it....
"We won't build new settlements, we won't expropriate additional land for the existing settlements," he added.
"The question of not expanding the territory is different from freezing life. You know, you have children there. You have babies that are born. What do you do with them? You have to give them kindergartens. You have to give them schools. Can you build a classroom or not? Can you build a kindergarten or not?....We really want to have people live normal lives until that final peace agreement is reached. Then we'll decide on the rest."