PM Netanyahu's message last night was carefully listened to at the White house as it prepares the meeting between Obama and Netanyahu, And despite the warm words Netanyahu had to say last night on Obama and his commitment to resume peace negotiations without any pre conditions, Netanyahu refused to mention that he accepts the 2 State solution that Obama is pressing Israel to recognize, instead he demanded that "for a final peace settlement to be achieved, the Palestinians must recognize Israel as the Jewish state".
The White house response this morning came as U.S. Vice President Joe Biden spoke to the leading pro-Israel lobby AIPAC during its annual conference in Washington in which he pressed Israel to support a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict "The Palestinians must halt militant violence and Israel has to work for a two-state solution ...You're not going to like my saying this, not build more settlements, dismantle existing outposts and allow Palestinians freedom of movement".
Watch the Full speech here
“The road map can be achieved,” Biden said. “The fact that peace has not occurred does not mean that peace cannot occur,Israelis and Palestinians have sufficient common interests to bring this goal within reach.”
Biden added that Obama had a “personal connection to the Zionist idea.” In the introduction of the vice president, the crowd was reminded several times that Biden has called himself a Zionist, “There must always be a place for the Jews to go and that place must be Israel,” the vice president said to a standing ovation.
While noting that “a nuclear-armed Iran risks an arms race in the region,” Biden conceded that “what will work remains to be seen” in stemming the threat,“That’s why we will pursue direct, principled democracy with Iran,” Biden said, adding that the U.S. “will approach Iran initially in a spirit of mutual respect.”
“If our efforts at engagement are not successful, we have greater international support to pursue other options,” he said. “We must sometimes act alone but it’s always stronger when we act in unison.”
Biden called for the “unconditional release” of Gilad Shalit, the IDF soldier still held by Hamas in Gaza after being kidnapped in June 2006, and called on Arab countries to aid the peace process.
“Now is the time for Arab states to make meaningful gestures... that the promise of ending Israel’s isolation in the region is real,” the vice president said.
Biden wrapped up his address by saying the delay of the peace process was “not an option,The path we’ve been on in recent years will not result in security or prosperity for Israel or the Palestinians,” Biden said.
