US President Barack Obama said today he would never waver from support for Israel's security but insisted that Washington must also pay attention to the plight of the Palestinians.
"We are working to try to strengthen the ability of both parties to have to sit down across the table," Mr Obama said at a townhall-style meeting in Tampa.
The administration's efforts to restart long-stalled peace talks have made little progress since Mr Obama took office a year ago. Critics say he underestimated the obstacles.
Mr Obama blamed internal politics both in Israel and the Palestinian territories for constraining peace diplomacy.
He cited problems faced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who the president said "is making some effort to move a little bit further than his coalition wants to go."
Mr Netanyahu's right-leaning government includes pro-settler parties strongly opposed to ceding occupied land to the Palestinians for a future state.
Mr Obama said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas "genuinely wants peace" but has to deal with Hamas, a militant group that refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist. Mr Abbas, a pro-US moderate, is also weakened by Hamas's control of the Gaza Strip while he governs only in the West Bank.
Saying Israelis and Palestinians both have "legitimate aspirations," Obama sought to reassert his administration's ability to act as an even-handed broker.
"Israel is one of our strongest allies," Mr Obama said. "It's critical for us, and I will never waver from ensuring Israel's security."
But he quickly insisted, "The plight of the Palestinians is something that we have to pay attention to. It is not good for our security and for Israel's security if you have millions of individuals who feel hopeless."
Many in the Muslim world accused Mr Obama's predecessor, George W Bush, of bias in favour of Israel. The Bush administration was also widely criticized as too disengaged from Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.
When Mr Obama took office, he promised to make Middle East diplomacy a high priority, assigning senior diplomats to focus on a renewed bid to resolve the decades-old conflict.
But his efforts to get the sides back to the negotiating table have been stymied by continuing divisions on key issues, including Israeli settlement building.
Reuters
