Barack Obama: Obama Statement on President Bush’s Proposed Middle Eastern Conference

July 16, 2007 -- WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) today released the following statement on President Bush’s proposal for a renewed diplomatic push in the Middle East:

President Bush said many of the right things in his speech today, BUT IT IS NOW PAST TIME to deliver. In the past, his announcements of a renewed diplomatic push toward reviving peace efforts have been followed by sporadic and ineffective visits by the Secretary of State with little or no follow through. The conference he has called for this fall can be an important step -- but only if it is more than a photo-op.

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If the United States is going to help Israelis and Palestinians turn the page, it is going to require a sustained diplomatic effort with presidential leadership. Working with the Israelis, we must strengthen President Abbas, Prime Minister Fayyad and other Palestinian moderates. As we do -- by improving security cooperation, easing daily life for Palestinians, expanding economic assistance -- we can show Palestinians that the path of peaceful negotiations, not the violence and rejectionism of Hamas, can help them achieve their legitimate aspirations and the goal of two states living side-by-side in peace and security. And if they make this choice of nonviolence, they will find a willing partner in Israel, which has already made positive gestures toward responsible Palestinian leaders, and strong supporters in the United States, Europe and elsewhere.

Palestinians have an opportunity to support their leadership, WHICH has renounced violence and recognized Israel's right to exist, and reject a violent Hamas that delays progress toward a Palestinian state. If they do, and if the U.S. makes a true commitment to a level of diplomacy that has been lacking, a more peaceful Middle East is possible.

Source: Senator Barack Obama