Obamas tal inför generalförsamlingen

Här följer ett utdrag som behandlar Israel- Palestina konflikten från Obamas tal inför FN:s generalförsamling.
Först några citat fritt översatt från engelska:
"...Fred kommer inte genom uttalanden och resolutioner i FN - om det vore så enkelt skulle det ha skett vid det här laget. Ytterst är det israelerna och palestinierna som måste leva sida vid sida. Ytterst är det israelerna och palestinierna - inte vi - som måste komma överens om de frågor som skiljer dem åt: om gränser och om säkerhet, om flyktingar och Jerusalem. Ytterst beror fred på kompromissvilja bland människor som måste leva tillsammans långt efter att våra tal är över, långt efter våra röster har registrerats...
...Vår vänskap med Israel är djup och bestående. Därför tror vi att en varaktig fred måste erkänna de mycket verkliga säkerhetsproblem som Israel står inför varje dag. Låt oss vara ärliga mot oss själva: Israel är omgivet av grannländer som har fört upprepade krig mot den. Israels medborgare har dödats av raketer avfyrade mot bostadshus och självmordsbomber på bussar. Israels barn växer upp med vetskapen atti hela regionen får andra barn lära sig att hata dem. Israel, ett litet land på mindre än åtta miljoner människor, ser ut på en värld där ledarna för betydligt större nationer hotar att stryka bort dem från världskartan. Det judiska folket bär bördan av århundraden av exil och förföljelse, och färska minnen av att veta att sex miljoner människor dödades enbart på grund av vilka de var. Det är fakta. De kan inte förnekas. Det judiska folket har skapat en framgångsrik stat i sitt historiska hemland. Israel förtjänar erkännande. Det förtjänar normala förbindelser med sina grannar. Och vänner till palestinierna gör dem ingen tjänst genom att ignorera denna sanning, precis som Israels vänner måste erkänna behovet av en tvåstatslösning med ett säkert Israel bredvid ett oberoende Palestina. Det är sanningen - varje sida har legitima strävanden - och det är det som delvis gör freden så svår att uppnå. Och dödläget kommer endast att brytas när båda sidor lär sig att stå i den andres skor, varje sida kan se världen genom den andres ögon. Det är vad vi bör uppmuntra. Det är vad vi bör främja..."

Hela talet kan läsas här :
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT OBAMA IN ADDRESS TO THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY





Now, I know, particularly this week, that for many in this hall, there's one issue that stands as a test for these principles and a test for American foreign policy, and that is the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. One year ago, I stood at this podium and I called for an independent Palestine. I believed then, and I believe now, that the Palestinian people deserve a state of their own. But what I also said is that a genuine peace can only be realized between the
Israelis and the Palestinians themselves. One year later, despite extensive efforts by America and others, the parties have not bridged their differences. Faced with this stalemate, I put forward a new basis for negotiations in May of this year. That basis is clear. It’s well known to all of us here. Israelis must know that any agreement provides assurances for their security. Palestinians deserve to know the territorial basis of their state. Now, I know that many are frustrated by the lack of progress. I assure you, so am I. But the question isn’t the goal that we seek -- the question is how do we reach that goal. And I am convinced that there is no short cut to the end of a conflict that has endured for decades. Peace is hard work. Peace will not come through statements and resolutions at the United Nations -- if it were that easy, it would have been accomplished by now. Ultimately, it is the Israelis and the Palestinians who must live side by side. Ultimately, it is the Israelis and the Palestinians -- not us –- who must reach agreement on the issues that divide them: on borders and on security, on refugees and Jerusalem. Ultimately, peace depends upon compromise among people who must live together long after our speeches are over, long after our votes have been tallied. That’s the lesson of Northern Ireland, where ancient antagonists bridged their differences. That’s the lesson of Sudan, where a negotiated settlement led to an independent state. And that is and will be the path to a Palestinian state -- negotiations between the parties. We seek a future where Palestinians live in a sovereign state of their own, with no limit to what they can achieve. There’s no question that the Palestinians have seen that vision delayed for too long. It is precisely because we believe so strongly in the aspirations of the Palestinian people that America has invested so much time and so much effort in the building of a Palestinian state, and the negotiations that can deliver a Palestinian state. But understand this as well: America’s commitment to Israel’s security is unshakeable. Our friendship with Israel is deep and enduring. And so we believe that any lasting peace must acknowledge the very real security concerns that Israel faces every single day. Let us be honest with ourselves: Israel is surrounded by neighbors that have waged repeated wars against it. Israel’s citizens have been killed by rockets fired at their houses and suicide bombs on their buses. Israel’s children come of age knowing that throughout the region, other children are taught to hate them. Israel, a small country of less than eight million people, look out at a world where leaders of much larger nations threaten to wipe it off of the map. The Jewish people carry the burden of centuries of exile and persecution, and fresh memories of knowing that six million people were killed simply because of who they are. Those are facts. They cannot be denied. The Jewish people have forged a successful state in their historic homeland. Israel deserves recognition. It deserves normal relations with its neighbors. And friends of the Palestinians do them no favors by ignoring this truth, just as friends of Israel must recognize the need to pursue a two-state solution with a secure Israel next to an independent Palestine. That is the truth -- each side has legitimate aspirations -- and that’s part of what
makes peace so hard. And the deadlock will only be broken when each side learns to stand in the other’s shoes; each side can see the world through the other’s eyes. That’s what we should be encouraging. That’s what we should be promoting.