UNITED STATES PRESIDENT Barack Obama has pledged that his country will take a more active role in ensuring reform in the Arab world – and renewed calls on Israel and Palestine to work towards a long-lasting two-state solution.
In a wide-ranging speech delivered at the White House this evening, Obama criticised the perception of some in the Middle East that the “West is blamed as the source of all ills”, arguing that the so-called Arab Spring “shows us that the strategies of oppression… will not work any more.”
“At a time when people in the Middle East and Africa are casting off the past, the drive for peace… is more urgent than ever.”
Efforts to take Israel’s legitimacy on the part of Palestine were bound to end in failure, he said, and Palestinians would never realise independence by denying Israel’s right to exist – but that Israel “must boldly advance” in the cause of peace.
“Technology will make it harder for Israel to defend itself,” Obama commented. “The dream of a Jewish and democratic state cannot be fulfilled without an end to occupation.
No peace can be imposed upon them [Israel and Palestine], but endless delay won’t make the problem go away… A lasting peace will involve two states for two peoples.
Borders between the two should be restored to where they stood in 1967, pending agreements between the two peoples, he added, with each state being given the right “to defend itself, by itself, against any threat”.
In the weeks to come, Palestine would need to come up with a “credible explanation” as to why it refuses to acknowledge the state of Israel – while other Arab countries were also beckoned to reconsider their positions on the Jewish state.
The broader Middle East and the so-called ‘Arab Spring’ also came in for mention, with Obama insisting that regimes “built upon fault lines… will eventually tear asunder” and insisting that countries could not simply offer the illusion of stability.
When Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi “eventually leaves, or he is forced from power, decades of provocation will end” in his country, while Syrian president Bashar Assad was told to “lead that transition [to democracy], or get out of the way.”
Even Bahrain – a country in which the US has recently held its tongue – was mentioned, with Obama warning its leaders that the country could not host meaningful political dialogue when parts of the opposition are in jail.
In the months ahead, America must use all our influence to encourage reform in the region. Our message is simple: if you take the risks that reform entails, you will have the full support of the United States.
If necessary, the United States would engage with groups currently sidelined, with Obama saying the US would “broaden our engagements beyond elites”.
The president hinted, too, at the rights of women in the region – saying it would “never reach its full potential when more than half its population is prevented from reaching their full potential.”
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