MNeagle
9th June 2010, 10:24 AM
By Kate Andersen Brower
June 9 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama called the situation in the Gaza Strip “unsustainable†after he and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas met in an effort to restore momentum to the peace process.
Obama announced the U.S. will provide $400 million in aid for housing, school construction and other infrastructure improvements in Gaza and the West Bank to help improve the “day-to-day life†of Palestinians.
“The situation in Gaza is unsustainable,†Obama said after today’s Oval Office meeting. Israel’s security needs must be met as well as the humanitarian needs of the people in Gaza, Obama said as he called for a new “conceptual framework†for Israel’s blockade to focus on stopping the flow of arms.
Obama said attention has been refocused on Gaza because of Israel’s naval blockade of the territory. Israel says the effort is aimed at preventing Hamas, whose charter calls for the destruction of the Jewish state, from getting weapons.
A May 31 Israeli raid on a ship in an aid flotilla that resulted in the deaths of nine pro-Palestinian activists has drawn international criticism.
“We should be able to take what had been a tragedy and turn it into an opportunity,†Obama said.
Obama said he wants to get indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinians back on course and that he expects “significant progress†before the end of the year.
Work to Be Done
“There’s a lot of work that remains to be done so that we can create a two-state solution in the Middle East,†he said. “In the long run the only real way to solve this problem is to make sure that we’ve got a Palestinian state side by side with an Israel that is secure.â€
Abbas said through a translator that he appreciates Obama’s “attention and determination†in moving the peace process forward.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s planned meeting with Obama at the White House was canceled last week because of the raid.
The U.S. has declined to specifically censure Israeli actions, while backing a June 1 UN Security Council resolution that condemned the violence that led to the deaths of the aid activists and calling for an impartial inquiry.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aZJsu4kcTnkM&pos=9
June 9 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama called the situation in the Gaza Strip “unsustainable†after he and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas met in an effort to restore momentum to the peace process.
Obama announced the U.S. will provide $400 million in aid for housing, school construction and other infrastructure improvements in Gaza and the West Bank to help improve the “day-to-day life†of Palestinians.
“The situation in Gaza is unsustainable,†Obama said after today’s Oval Office meeting. Israel’s security needs must be met as well as the humanitarian needs of the people in Gaza, Obama said as he called for a new “conceptual framework†for Israel’s blockade to focus on stopping the flow of arms.
Obama said attention has been refocused on Gaza because of Israel’s naval blockade of the territory. Israel says the effort is aimed at preventing Hamas, whose charter calls for the destruction of the Jewish state, from getting weapons.
A May 31 Israeli raid on a ship in an aid flotilla that resulted in the deaths of nine pro-Palestinian activists has drawn international criticism.
“We should be able to take what had been a tragedy and turn it into an opportunity,†Obama said.
Obama said he wants to get indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinians back on course and that he expects “significant progress†before the end of the year.
Work to Be Done
“There’s a lot of work that remains to be done so that we can create a two-state solution in the Middle East,†he said. “In the long run the only real way to solve this problem is to make sure that we’ve got a Palestinian state side by side with an Israel that is secure.â€
Abbas said through a translator that he appreciates Obama’s “attention and determination†in moving the peace process forward.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s planned meeting with Obama at the White House was canceled last week because of the raid.
The U.S. has declined to specifically censure Israeli actions, while backing a June 1 UN Security Council resolution that condemned the violence that led to the deaths of the aid activists and calling for an impartial inquiry.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aZJsu4kcTnkM&pos=9