In Israel, such pressure would probably be seen as Obama’s revenge on Netanyahu, who past year slammed the president’s push to reach a deal with Iran to constrain its nuclear program during a speech to a joint meeting of Congress. Netanyahu’s address to Congress infuriated White House officials, who thought that the Israeli leader was improperly meddling in US politics.
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Following his speech, the president will raise concerns about Israeli settlement activity in Arab lands during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in NY on Wednesday.
He added that he hoped his last face-to-face meeting with Mr. Netanyahu will “assure that we keep alive the possibility of a stable, secure Israel at peace with its neighbors and a Palestinian [nation] that meets the aspirations of their people”. Many Palestinians say that the chances for a two-state solution are quickly disappearing and call on President Obama to make one last attempt to get a Palestinian state on the books.
Ties between the two leaders never fully recovered after Netanyahu showed up on Capitol Hill to lobby Congress against Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran.
Many analysts said Palestinian frustration with the Israeli occupation and settlement building in the West Bank, the complete lack of progress in peace efforts and their own fractured leadership have helped feed the unrest. -Israeli aid deal only makes Iran more determined to strengthen its military.
If the West Bank were simply Israeli-occupied Palestinian land, in particular sovereign territory belonging to another state and acquired by aggression, then Israel would be required to withdraw and no negotiations would be necessary.
“It is a very unsafe and hard time in the Middle East and we want to make sure that Israel has the full capabilities it needs in order to keep the Israeli people safe”, Mr Obama said.
Palestinian officials have decried an increased Israeli security presence, saying there have been new checkpoints, with more villages closed off.
Netanyahu said he planned to thank Obama for the military aid. “We’ve raised those directly with the Israeli government”, Ben Rhodes, Obama’s deputy national security adviser, said Tuesday.
Obama, who leaves office in January, made reference to a military aid agreement between the two allies.
“Surely Israelis and Palestinians will be better off in Palestinians reject incitement and recognize the legitimacy of Israel”, Obama said.
That latter sentence, as ever, underlined Obama’s conviction that Netanyahu is acting against Israel’s own interests by expanding the Jewish presence in the West Bank, complicating the prospect of a withdrawal, and reducing the capacity of the United States to broker a viable agreement.
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“Our reports indicate that Israeli forces provoke Palestinian children and incite them to carry knifes”.
