Middle East News

Obama condemns terror while convening Mideast peace talks (Roundup)

By Mike McCarthy Sep 1, 2010, 18:42 GMT

US President Barack Obama (R) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) during an event on the progress of Middle East peace talks in the East Room of the White House following a day of bilateral meetings between President Obama and Middle East leaders, in Washington, DC, USA, 01 September 2010.EPA/MOSHE MILNER GOVERNMENT PRESS OFFICE

Washington - US President Barack Obama declared Wednesday that acts of terrorism will not deter the United States and its partners from seeking peace as he pushed forward in the latest round of talks to broker a settlement to the Middle East conflict.

Obama met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House ahead of separate meetings with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Jordan's King Abdullah and Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak.

Standing with Netanyahu, Obama condemned the attack near the West Bank city of Hebron on Tuesday that left four Israelis dead. Hamas, the Palestinian militant opposed to the peace process, claimed responsibility.

'I want everybody to be very clear: The United States is going to be unwavering in its support of Israel's security, and we are going to push back against these kinds of terrorist activities,' Obama said.

'And so the message should go out to Hamas and everybody else who is taking credit for these heinous crimes that this is not going to stop us from not only ensuring a secure Israel, but also securing a longer-lasting peace,' he added.

Obama and Netanyahu, two leaders occasionally at odds, said their discussions on advancing the Israeli-Palestinian peace process were productive, with the latter adding they were 'open' as well as 'serious in the quest for peace.'

Netanyahu added that the talks focused on the need for security arrangements to protect Israel from terrorist attacks. 'That is a fundamental element, an important function of the peace that we seek and work for,' he said.

On Thursday, Netanyahu and Abbas will hold the first face-to-face Israeli-Palestinian negotiations since December 2008. Those talks will be hosted by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at the State Department.

The talks come 18 months after Obama took office pledging to make a strong push for a peace agreement, and after his special envoy to the region, former senator George Mitchell, mediated months of indirect negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians nudging them toward direct talks.

The Obama administration has set a goal of achieving a settlement in a year, although the Israelis and Palestinians have been sceptical about the prospects for meeting that timeframe.

In what could be an early snag in the peace process and the focus of initial discussions, Netanyahu's moratorium on new settlement construction in the West Bank expires September 26. The Palestinians have insisted that their participation hinges extending the freeze.

Netanyahu, however, faces the possibility his more conservative coalition partners will bolt from the government if he extends the ban. Israel's Channel 2 news reported that Netanyahu told Obama he will allow the moratorium to expire, although that report could not be immediately verified.

Obama has previously called on Israel to freeze settlements, but did not bring up the issue in the brief appearance before the media with Netanyahu. Obama is scheduled to deliver a longer statement at 2120 GMT, and again with the other four leaders in the evening before hosting a working dinner.

Negotiations between the two sides have been started and halted many times in the last decade. The last incarnation of direct talks began at the end of 2007 and was suspended in late 2008 as Israel headed into an election campaign that brought Netanyahu to power.