Netanyahu’s Unexpected Concession To Obama

By Celia Canon- Talk Radio News Service

In a sharp break from his previous foreign policy, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made key concessions to U.S President Obama in today’s meeting

Still, Netanyahu did not shift his stance on the two state solution which would allow the Palestinians to have their own legitimate territory and the Israelis could keep most of theirs.

Such was the conclusion of former United State Institute of Peace President and CEO and former U.S Ambassador to Israel Samuel Lewis and former Israeli Ambassador to Jordan and the European Union Oden Eran following the analysis of President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu’s meeting today.

The meeting gained mixed reviews after the analysis of the success of the meeting was observed.

Oren Eran said on Netanyahu that “politically speaking, he passed this particular hurdle but from the press conference at least you an judge that this is not the end of the story.”

Samuel Lewis on his part said “I can’t help saying that we won’t know really know how important this meeting was for some time.”

The meeting was the first between the two nations since President Obama’s election and was significant as it signaled a continuation in the relationship between the U.S and Israel despite the change in the American administration.

Lewis observed that “The number one purpose for Obama and for Netanyahu was the issue of trust, and whether they achieved at the beginning at least a trusting relationship between the two of them that has proved historically to be crucial in this relationship between Presidents and Prime ministers.”

Lewis added that “it hasn't yet been achieved if it’s going to be achieved.”

In addition, Lewis said, “I understood that emissaries were trying to work out a written agreed statement. Well it didn't come out as far as I know, which means they didn't agree, and that I think reinforces my opinion that there were a lot of disagreement in practice.”

However, both Eran and Lewis agreed that Netanyahu made a surprise concession as Eran said, “Obama said that from his point of view, the ability to make peace between the Israelis and the palestinians only strengthen the capability of the international community to wrestle with the Iranian threat.”

Optimism for Middle East Peace

By Courtney Ann Jackson- Talk Radio News Service

Today former British Prime Minister Tony Blair expressed to members of Congress his support of a two state
peace solution between the Palestinian Authority and Israel. Speaking to the U.S. Senate Committee on
Foreign Relations, Blair said that he looks at the Middle East with the eyes of an optimist.

Significant arguments over territory, refugees, security and water in the region, Blair said, “although immensely challenging, are resolvable.”

He said that if the possibility of a two state solution became a reality, a majority of Palestinian and Israeli citizens would support it.

Blair currently serves as Quartet Representative and was in Washinton to promote the Quartet objectives. He is responsible for revitalizing the Palestinian economy and promoting the Quartet objectives. In his written statement to the Committee, Blair said "The opportunity is there. But it won't remain if not seized. As President Obama has recognized, this is the right time to seize it."

Committee member Sen. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) said that “a peace settlement would require Israeli and Palestinian leaders with thin majorities to get beyond calculations designed to protect their own political interests.” Lugar also said the United States would have to be “very active and very creative” as they aided in the progress toward a settlement.

Blair said that leaders need to make sincere efforts to "reinvigorate the credibility" of a peace process between Israel and the Palestinian Authority need to “The only unity that works is a unity of genuine agreement,” he said.

Former Iraqi Prime Minister pleads for peace

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace hosted a discussion with former Iraqi prime minister and current Parliament member of Iraq, Ayad Allawi. Allawi said the American military surge caused some successes, but the situation in Iraq is still very fragile. He said the Iraqi government needs to capitalize on whatever fleeting stability the surge may have caused to make progress towards peace and trust.

He said the current sectarian government will not be able to uphold the nation. He said the prevalent sectarianism in the Iraq only encourages the spread of terrorism and extremism. He hopes Iraqis will one day be seen as just Iraqis, and not by their ethnicities. He said activation of the UN and other regional organizations could encourage the international community to be involved in promoting stability. His most emphatic point was that stability must be established first, before bureaucratic details can be considered.

Bush says freedom is universal

President George W. Bush speaks at the groundbreaking of the United States Institute of Peace headquarters today. Bush stated that freedom is universal and the birthrights of every man woman and child and the USIP is working to create freedom throughout the world. (0:34)

“Peace is the work of Justice”

President George Bush attended the groundbreaking of the United States Institute of Peace headquarters and Public Education Center today. Bush spoke in support of USIP and the work that they are doing to promote peace. He spoke of his personal interest in the pursuit of peace, citing the current war in Iraq as a means to spreading democracy and justice throughout the globe, as a national security interest for the United States, an international interest for countries to be safe and secure and that “peace is the work of justice.” Bush said that freedom is an unalienable right that needs to be protected and sought after by every nation.

President Bush also outlined some objectives and legislation that he was working to get passed in order to have operations to deploy whenever there is a need to work for peace: the global peace initiative as well as standby reserve corps of on-call former government workers and professionals who can be sent out to struggling countries who need assistance working for peace and freedom. Bush said that the United States needs to work with other countries, governments as well as non-governmental organizations to train peace keepers and help maintain global freedom, saying that he hopes the United States will never become “isolationist and nervous” when interacting with other countries.

Also in attendance at the groundbreaking was Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Pelosi spoke about the work of the USIP and the peaceful solutions they have made in Rwanda, Kosovo and Sudan saying that it is “peace that makes life worth living.” She praised the USIP for working for and establishing peace for the globe and not just Americans, working towards a helpful, generous and peaceful world.

Reid said that the world has never seeing a fighting force like the United States, which spend billions of dollars on a military, but that also works on “smart power.” This smart power is the ability to create peace, which is just as important as the winning wars. “If there were ever a bipartisan effort, it’d be peace,” Reid said.

All speakers praised the USIP’s efforts to ensure peace globally and stated their excitement for the new building’s completion. The United States Institute of Peace was founded in 1984, it is an independent nonpartisan national institution that was established and funded by Congress to promote peace and resolve international conflicts. The new building costs more than 200 million dollars and covers a 150,000 square-foot area north of the Lincoln Memorial.