home after work getting ready to watch the president of the united states. that s one of the key audiences, suzanne, that the president has right now. he s got an american audience he s got to deal with. he s getting ready for his re-election campaign, as we all know, but he wants to address the muslim world, the arab world, the world at large. absolutely, wolf. that s a very good point, that perception, the president s perception in the middle east among the arab world is very important. i have a question for you. because i know that you have been interviewed many times israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. he s going to be at the white house tomorrow as ed had mentioned. we have seen these two leaders, obama and netanyahu struggle from time to time. ill anever forget that visit, it was just last year when netanyahu was left in the roosevelt room because there was an impasse over israeli settlements and the president went to the residence. since then it seeps as if they have ma
bribe. in the face of these challenges, too many leaders in the region tried to direct their people s grievances elsewhere. the west was blamed as the source of all ills, a half century after the end of colonialism. antagonism toward israel became the only acceptable outlet for political expression. divisions of tribe, ethnicity and religious sect were manipulated as a means of holding on to power, or taking it away from somebody else. but the events of the past six months show us that strategies of repression and strategies of aversion will not work anymore. satellite television and the internet provide a window into the wider world, a world of astonishing progress in places
questions for israel. how can one negotiate with a party that has shown itself unwilling to recognize your right to exist? in the weeks and months to come, palestinian leaders will have to provide a credible answer to that question. meanwhile, the united states, our quartet partners and the arab states will need to continue every effort to get beyond the current impasse. i recognize how hard this will be. suspicion and hostility has been passed on for generations. and at times it has hardened. but i m convinced that the majority of israelis and palestinians would rather look to the future than to be trapped in the past. we see that spirit in the sketh father whose son was killed by hamas who brought together
forward now. i disagree. at a time when the people of the middle east an north africa are casting off the burdens of the past, the drive for a lasting peace that ends the conflict and resolves all claims is more urgent than ever. that s certainly true for the two parties involved. for the palestinians, efforts to delegitimize israel will end in failure. symbolic actions to isolate israel at the united nations in september won t create an independent state. palestinian leaders will not achieve peace or prosperity if hamas insists on a path of terror and rejection. and palestinians will never realize their independence by denying the right of israel to exist. as for israel, our friendship is
rooted deeply in a shared history and shared values. our commitment to israel s security is unshakeable. we will stand against attempts to single it out for criticism in international forums. but precisely because of our friendship, it s important that we tell the truth. the status quo is unsustainable and israel, too, must act boldly to advance a lasting peace. the fact is, a growing number of palestinians live west of the jordan river. technology will make it harder for israel to defend itself. a region undergoing profound change will lead to populism in which millions of people not just one or two leaders must believe peace is possible. the international community is tired of an endless process that