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Subscribe to RSSPresident Barack Obama spoke on the unrest in the Middle East while on a trip to Asia. The president's trip is meant to put a focus on foreign policy, with the president making a tour of the region, including Myanmar and Cambodia. NBC's Chuck Todd reports from Bangkok.
President Barack Obama said Sunday that Israel has “every right” to defend itself against missile attacks by militants inside Gaza but warned that escalating the offensive with Israeli ground troops could undermine any hope of a peace process with the Palestinians.
"Let's understand what the precipitating event here that's causing the current crisis and that was an ever-escalating number of missiles that were landing not just in Israeli territory but in areas that are populated, and there's no country on Earth that would tolerate missiles raining down on its citizens from outside its borders,” Obama said at press conference in Thailand at the start of a three-nation tour in Asia.
“So we are fully supportive of Israel's right to defend itself from missiles landing on people's homes and workplaces and potentially killing civilians."
He added: "Israel has every right to expect that it does not have missiles fired into its territory. If that can be accomplished without a ramping up of military activity in Gaza, that's preferable. It's not just preferable for the people of Gaza. It's also preferable for Israelis, because if Israeli troops are in Gaza, they're much more at risk of incurring fatalities or being wounded."
Netanyahu: Israel prepared for ‘significant expansion’ of Gaza operation
More than 50 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds more wounded in the four days of Israeli assaults. Egyptian officials are working on securing a truce between Israel and the Palestinian factions, which could help avert a war both sides say they are prepared to fight. NBC's Ayman Mohyeldin reports.
Obama directed some of his comments to the heads of state of Egypt and Turkey, both countries that are supportive of the Palestinians. “Those who champion the cause of Palestinians should recognize that if we see a further escalation of the situation in Gaza than the likelihood of us getting back on any kind of peace track that leads to a two-state solution is going to be pushed off way into the future,” he said.
Obama's comments came as Israel's campaign against Hamas militants in Gaza blasted into its fifth day. Israel is at a crossroads of whether to launch a ground invasion or pursue Egyptian-led truce efforts, and Obama sought to clearly defend the U.S. ally's military rights while pushing for a halt in the violence.
Key players in the Israel-Gaza cross-border conflict
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Sunday that Israel was prepared to significantly expand its military operation in Gaza. Obama has been lobbying Netanyahu along with the leaders of Egypt and Turkey to try to halt the crisis -- including stopping rocket strikes on Israel.
Ammar Awad / Reuters
Two sides exchange deadly airstrikes, rocket attacks.
He said Israel was justly responding to "an ever escalating number of missiles that were landing not just in Israeli territory, but in areas that are populated. And there's no country on earth that would tolerate missiles raining down on its citizens from outside its borders."
Obama said Palestinians will have no chance to pursue their own state and a lasting peace with Israel as long as rockets are fired into Israel. He said he hoped for a clearer process over the next 48 hours -- showing how much the Mideast conflict had intruded on his diplomatic mission to Asia.
NBC News' Shawna Thomas and The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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Obama gave Israel 200 million dollars to help them develop Iron Dome - which shot down most of the dangerous rockets headed for population centers.
Obama gives Israel 3 to 5 Billion every year.
That we know of.... Just like we've been doing for the last 3 decades
Three billion of free weapons every year to Israel, over one billion to Egypt. - a big part of our "foreign aid" program - helping to make peace??????? instead of feeding hungry people, solving health problems or encouraging economic development worldwide in poor countries.
Wow, how much biase and ignorance going on here. All of you either forgot, or deliberately missed our billions to Pakistan? I won't mention billions more to the rest of the muslim world who has been killing Americans - five today in Afghanistan. I much rather our money go to Israel instead. I know, they are jews.
Pakistan is more an enemy than a friend. Much more anti-American than most Muslim countries in the middle east (Pakistan like Afghanistan is in South Asia).
Actually it's not free weapons to Israel, they use the 3 to 5 billion (that we know of) to buy the weapons from us. Thus creating jobs and pumping it back into the economy.
Free weapons - helping merchants of death (and retired military officers advising on foreign policy as second careers) in the US.
Were we proud when Israeli troops used our white phosphorous in 2008 to "melt" women and children in Gaza? The officer who did it and the soldiers who used civilian teenagers for human shields got mild rebukes from Israeli authorities afterwards. It wasn't official policy.
Hamas in Gaza was given (+/-) 700M this year by Iran and other anonymous Muslim Nations. What are they doing with it? Letting the People starve. Qatar had offered them a vast amount to rebuild the area of the refugee camps plus. But killing Jews seems to be more important to them and making themselves look like wounded puppy dogs.
Well I see that King Obama flew off to Burma to get out of Dodge ASAP. He'll do anything to not deal with a problem. And all he can say is Israel has a right to defend it's borders. He's hates Israel and we all know it. Damn 4 more years of this crap.
Israel has the right to defend itself with or without the approval of other countries.
Just as we support Israel, Hamas is supported by Iran and probably Syria as well. Need I say more?
The whole Hamas-Gaza/Israel thing reminds me of a group of petulant teen-children who are objecting to Reality.
They stand on the side lines and throw rocks and stuff at the superior armed and armored Adults. Occasionally, a rock or such does cause some harm, and after taking enough of that, the Adults have no choice but to to discipline the kids.
The juvenile attitude of Hamas (and others) seems to think that they can actually change things by these tactics, while only proving to the rest of the World that they don't have the maturity and intellegence to recognize the facts and deal with them as fellow adults, or as a Nation.
Israel is not going away. Israel will continue to exist as a nation..., exactly where it is located, and no force/power/other nation on Earth will ever change that fact!
I read some sign somewhere that said "Stop shooting and start talking!". The problem is that Israel has been talking for years..., but their neighbors simply refuse to grow-up enough to listen and talk!
They'd rather throw rocks.
Rhetoric which merely parrots the Israeli line does nothing. If Israel has the right to defend itself, don't the Palestinians as well? The answer is of course they do. What really needs to happen is for the Israelis to have a meaningful dialogue with everyone involved in the peace process. That includes Hamas whether the Israelis like it or not.
Attacking Israel is not defense - it is offense. When a country is attacked (as Israel has been, with over 800 rockets fired at them this year), they have the right to respond. If Canada launched an attack on the US, you can bet there would be a strong response before they had fired 800 rockets.
How can you make a deal or negotiate with a goal of Kill all Jews and Obliterate Israel? The idea is so embedded in the psychi of Hamas, Iran, much of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood,and many others. How can anyone ever reach negotiation? It cannot be done.
Suppose some "people" in the USA fire upon the police, or on civilians for that matter. If "they" stopped firing and said they would't fire again do you suppose that the police should just say, "OK, we won't come into your house to arrest you, as long as you promise to not do it again? NO! The police would be obligated to storm in, guns drawn, and arrest the aggressors and shoot back if resisted. President Obama's suggestion that Israel not send in ground troops because it might harm peace talks is just as silly. Hamas (Gaza) was and still is the instigator and the criminal aggressor and a "police" or "military" response is warranted.
Might cause a war with Egypt. When Israeli tropps kill a bunch of Gaza civilians (they killed over a thousand in 2008) it will go on Egyptian TV. The population will insist that Morsi help. Morsi will send supplies to Gaza. Israeli might bomb Egyptian territory. The Egyptiam population, under the mis-impression that they won militarily against Israel in 1973, will call for war.
Lebanon might join in.
That is the reason for no troops. Also difficult to avoid extensive civilian casualties - some Israelis don't like to be murderers.
Harm Peace talks?? Is anyone serious there can be peace talks? When a large group of countries and peoples have vowed to kill all Jews and Obliterate Israel no matter what, when they teach their children such extreme predjudice, how can anyone say "peace talks". No peace talks can ever be possible unless this extreme predjudice is stopped. No one has even started this and if they ever did it would take generations. Because of this doctrine, no one can trust these people. Can they change their Doctrine? Thats where Peace talks have to start.
One of the biggest foreign policy blunders of the United States was helping to establish and supporting the modern nation of Israel without understanding the Middle East.
You can say that again! One of the stupidest moves in the annuls of history. Then it has become more and more compounded over the years with yet again more stupid moves. I am convinced that Israel early on formulated a plan to gain complete control one square foot at a time. They are succeeding so far.
That isn't taking Israels side by the way, the Palestinians have designs on eliminating Israel in total.
http://www.masada2000.org/historical.html
An nice piece of history,
The real history for those interested.
Thankyou Aut Anna, Although I need to read it again to really take it in, I learned something!
Sounds even worse than I thought. Britain should have given all that area back to the Jewish people when they "legally" allowed the Israeli State to rebuild as they first said they would. I hope they are taking responsibility now and helping out. They should say they made a mistake and change all borders through the UN now that make WestBank and Gaza part of the State of Israel. And Arab countries should just agree!
Mr President, while I am one of your supporter, I find your stand with Israel and the claim that peace is in Jeopardy is laughable. You had 4 years and you simple did nothing to advance the peace.
By not pressing Israel, which we support financially and politically and simply threatening the Palestinians and their supporters, Turkey, Quarter, and Egypt that peace will not be achieve if they don't simply capitulate to Israel is simply outrageous.
This approach is no different than GW and will only increase the violence and insure one result in the long run one state for both people.
This leads me to believe either you are favor of one state, or simply have no convictions. That is very sad
Obama sensibly realized that he can't force Israel to make a two state peace if they don't want peace.
He has consistently opposed the terrorist group Hamas and continues to do so. Israel has to respond to the rocket attacks. The danger of breaking the peace is the danger of breaking the 1979 peace with Egypt. Morsi promised to keep the peace treaty, but excessive killing of civilians in Gaza could endanger that and lead to war with Egypt - which might have other consequences that could be quite unpleasant as well.
Didn't know there was anyone who thought Morsi was keeping the peace treaty.
I am sure Israel is concerned about whether we say they have the right to defend themselves. Obama, get over yourself, you do not and should not determine other countries rights.
What you should do is defend our rights to defend our borders.
You must take BO very literally. 'DEFEND' itself. That means no offensive rockets designed to END a war through attrition, no incursions, no 'winning ground' lost by the jihadists as would be the case in a true war.
The headlines here should really read: Palestinians have every right to resist occupation.
Palestineans are occupied by Hamas and Muslim extremists who want another Muslim State.
obama is a total fool,all he wants is his name in the news. the government of israel are warmongers and as long as the U S supports them they will keep it up. no wonder we are the target of terriorists, we support a terriorist nation
Their citizens have been bombarded with rockets for months, without any response, and Israel is the warmonger? Representing the liberal dhimi mind or just a jihadist muslim?
Strange, I am a liberal and I believe Gaza should belong to Israel and so should the West Bank and Golan Heights. This is the LEAST. There should have been more but when Britain drew lines and UN bargaining with Jordan.Syria, Egypt, Lebanon Israel got shorted way too much. Great mistakes were made drawing maps. Yet still Israel was grateful. But now its time for Britain/UN and other Arab countries to make it right.
The kill all Jews doctrine just won't fly in 2012. One State: Israel/Palestine. They are one and the same.
Nobody stopped the masacre in Iraq where more than 100.000 people got killed, most innocent people. Why would anybody stop another masacre? Defend themselves? Give me a break! For 1 Jewish killed there are 1.300 through the years.
President Obama will support Israel to the fullest! Again we see the regular nay-sayers shooting off their mouths. All lies.. All arrogance.Israel has never asked for AMericna Troops. Just Military equipment. Israel has move beyond what countries like England, France, Iraq etc have asked for in the past. Once the Israel soldiers take care of the terrorists and stop the rockets their way the countries that are negative will chnage their attitude positively. President Obama and America support Israel!!
Look! Romney Lost! Get Over It!
Four More Years
Four More Years
Four More Years
And if that sounds like gloating it ain't half as terrible as the sound you bunch of sore losers are making btchn about President Obama.
That's nice. What were your feelings in 2004? We're you saying "Four more years" or "I'm moving to Canada"?
Yeah, that's what I thought. :)
No I think in 2004 my thought were more along the line of one, Bush the commander in thief should not have been running for re-election. Two, I knew that Bush took us into a war with Iraq for the only purpose of getting re-elected. And NO the thought of leaving the country never occurred to me. I don't even know how it got in this discussion. However it must be something that is on your mind because you hate that President (four more years) Obama was relected.
Might I suggest a Metamucil/Phillips/Jack Daniels cocktail. I know how the re-election of President Obama has really stopped some of you guys up. Please try the above cocktail before your head explodes.
Israel has proved time and time again that they are not afraid to attack anyone including the United States.
Jeez...and they call Romney the 'flip-flopper'
The Jews have the right,to do whatever they want,just don't drag us into it.
I'm tired of these losers in other countries making their problems ours.
Remember bush and his two unfounded wars,,loooosers
I strongly disagree with our president. Israel has no right to destroy and kill palestinians. American policy agrees and support that behavior and we all know that, but what is wrong, is wrong and we must speak out against it. If a child lashes out at you, are you going to attack them like you would an adult? In malitary terms, the people of gaza are children in this case. You cannot love another human being more than you love the next. God is watching, if we believe in God like we claim. Are our children better than the children of gaza? Every body want and talk about peace, but where is justice? Where is justice for all?
And if Obama lived during the American Revolutionary war, he'd be saying that the British have every right to defend themselves. This is the twisted logic of an American president who sees the Israeli occupier as the victim and the Palestinian occupied as the terrorist. Is he just stupid, or has he been bought by AIPAC?
Uh, donna... the Revolutionary War was fought on American soil, between them and us.
I didn't think it was possible for anyone to be that stupid, but you guys keep proving me wrong.
@DONNA, I'll bet if Mitt was President, you would be saying, "OH YES." But since it's Obama, you can't support your President. Typical GOP hooker, aren't you?
Donna Sagia,
I will tell you the same thing that I stated to Marchant a few posts back, go back to school and relearn your history. We never attacked the British, they attacked us, ( the 13 colonies ) with their oppressive rule, unfair taxation without representation, and the Redcoats walking all over the basic human rights of supposed royal subjects. The British were never defending themselves from us. To the contrary, we were defending ourselves from them. And so a great nation was born.
Benjamin Netanyahu once stated a very true fact. I will quote it for you. He said " If the Arab world would laid down it's arms against Israel, there would be peace in the Middle East. If Israel laid down her arms we would be annihilated. "
The only thing Arabs understand is force. They use their own people as human shields, fire rockets from schools and areas of civilian population and then whine when those civilians are killed in counter battery fire. The best thing that could happen to this world would be for the Arab nations/Muslims-Islam to simply cease to exist. Only my two cents.
Mitt is alien,flip flower,and he lost,,looooser
Time to move on righties.youmchumps will keep losing as long as you have the tea bagging and ok to rape under god lunitics
Obama will be your god the next four years,,ha he ho
Never kiss a Jews a$$.make them fight for themselves.onlymoffer support
They'd never let you. Your lips would be too filthy from being up your own.