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Obama: We Can't Premise Our Diplomacy on the Peace Process on "Something that Everybody Knows Is Not Going to Happen for Years"

(U.S. Department of State) President Obama said during a news conference Tuesday: "With respect to Israel's relations with the Palestinians, I think it's important to understand that the issue here is not what I believe, but it's what the Palestinians and the parties in the negotiations and the Israeli people believe is possible....There still does not appear to be a prospect of a meaningful framework established that would lead to a Palestinian state." "When I said that we have to now do an evaluation of where we are, it's not in reference to our commitment to Israel's military edge in the region, Israel's security, our intelligence cooperation, our military cooperation. That continues unabated." "The evaluation that's taking place is specific to what happens between the Israelis and Palestinians going forward....What we can't do is pretend that there's a possibility of something that's not there. And we can't continue to premise our public diplomacy based on something that everybody knows is not going to happen at least in the next several years." "I have a very business-like relationship with the prime minister. I've met with him more than any other world leader. I talk to him all the time. He is representing his country's interests the way he thinks he needs to, and I'm doing the same....So this can't be reduced to a matter of somehow let's all hold hands and sing 'Kumbaya.' This is a matter of figuring out how do we get through a real knotty policy difference that has great consequences for both countries and for the region."
2015-03-25 00:00:00
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