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U.S. Seeks to Ease Tensions with Israel

[Ha'aretz] Barak Ravid - Senior White House officials told Ha'aretz Thursday that "there is no crisis in our relationship with Israel, and we will succeed in reaching understandings on the matter of settlements." "We must emphasize that the president has made clear to the Arab and Muslim world that the bond between the U.S. and Israel is powerful and will not be broken," an official said. Following his address in Cairo, Obama told journalists in response to a question regarding the settlements: "It's only been five months for me, Netanyahu has only been in office for two months, we've been waiting 60 years. So maybe we should try out a few more months before everybody starts looking at doomsday scenarios....Expecting a break between the U.S. and Israel is something that people should not anticipate." "The Israelis have difficult decisions to make," he continued. "As I said in my speech, these settlements are an impediment to peace. That's not to deny the fact that there are people who are living in these settlements, there is a momentum to some of these settlements, and turning the back on those settlements involves very tough choices. That's why I said that America cannot do this for the parties."
2009-06-05 06:00:00
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