From The Situation Room aired September 1,2010
Full transcript: http://archives.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1009/01/sitroom.01.html
DAVID GERGEN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: It is a dramatic moment, Wolf. We have to be cautioned and tempered of course by the experiences of past presidents. So many have tried. No one has come up with the full answer. President carter deserves an awful lot of credit for what happened during his period of time and other presidents have contributed. But this is a moment where I seem to have gotten off to a smooth start today. The meeting with prime minister Netanyahu apparently went well. I think one has to give credit to the president. But it is also a moment of some peril because if these talks fail, and there are many who believe they will fail, it could actually be a serious setback to the situation in the Middle East. It could be destabilizing. The president has a lot riding on the line. This president seems to go, doesn't he, from one major challenge to the next. They don't seem to stop.
From John King USA aired September 1,2010
Full Transcript http://archives.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1009/01/jkusa.01.html
KING: David, we talked about the issues facing these leaders, but what about the region? As the Iraq war winds down, as people worry more and more about the intentions of Mr. Ahmadinejad in Iran, is the region ready to put pressure on these parties, to negotiate peace?
DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Some parts of the region are and I think Wolf made a good point, but let's go back to Robin's point about what unites all of these people is there is a fear and growing antagonism toward Iran. The flip side of that is that Iran has an interest in this -- in destabilizing this effort. And they have -- of course they are supporting Hamas and Hezbollah on both sides of Israel, two sides of Israel.
And therefore, Iran could really be a mischief maker in this. They could really perhaps bring this process to its knees. I mean, we saw just yesterday, of course, the Hamas shootings, in the West Bank of Israeli settlers. That's exactly the kind of radical efforts we've seen in the past that have derailed talks like this.
KING: Ed Henry, the Egyptian resort of Sharm el Sheikh has played host to many serious negotiations. Most of those negotiations, one step forward, two steps back. David Gergen, anything you heard tonight that leaves you more hopeful? Or anything you didn't hear tonight you thought you need to?
DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: I thought Mr. Netanyahu made what sounded like a very genuine statement about his commitment to peace. And he did say I want to have it anchored in security. And that has a lot of questions surrounding it, of course. What impressed me, that he came ready to bargain. People say, well, it will be a Nixon moment going to China, will be very unusual but the fact is, historically, when we have seen big moves towards peace in the Midwest have also come from hard-liners. You thing begin, you think Sharon. So a little more hopeful. I want to say one last thing. What's the role of Barack Obama in these talks? King Abdullah raised that tonight. He said, we want you as a mediator. For a lot of Americans who listened to television last night, they thought they heard the president was going to pivot towards making jobs and the economy the central focus of his presidency. Here, within less than 24 hours, we have him making a commitment that has often in the past involved enormous engagement, personal engagement, on the part of presidents. That's going to be head-snapping for a lot of people. I think he needs to give Hillary Clinton and George Mitchell a lot of responsibility in the early going.
Transcript from Anderson Cooper AC360
COOPER: Mideast leaders have been trying and failing to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with U.S. presidents caught in the middle for generations. Tonight, after a preliminary discussion in advance of formal talks tomorrow between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, President Obama said the two sides had made progress.
Here's Prime Minister Netanyahu.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: President Abbas, you are my partner in peace. And it is up to us, with the help of our friends, to conclude the agonizing conflict between our peoples and to afford them a new beginning.
COOPER: So, is this a new beginning or is this like so many beginnings that we've seen before in years past? Joining us now is senior political analyst David Gergen.
David, thanks very much for being with us. You know, what do you make of the statement made tonight by Benjamin Netanyahu. I mean, a perennial skeptic when it comes to Palestinian statehood. You know, often referred to U.S.-backed peace talks as a waste of time. Today he said, and I quote, "We seek a peace that will end the conflict between us once and for all."
Is this a big deal?
DAVID GERGEN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Anderson, there are signs of hope, tempered hope, to be sure. The fact that two sides are sitting down, talking to each other directly for the first time in almost two years, that's progress. The fact that, after intense provocation with Hamas shooting Israelis on the West Bank, both leaders vowed tonight, Palestinian and Israeli leaders, vowed tonight they wouldn't let terrorists derail these talks.
The fact that President Obama got Egyptian president and King Abdullah of Jordan to come there, giving Arab backing to this. That helps the Palestinian cause. So those things are there.
But anybody who has watched this, as you have over the years, knows that the odds are still long. We've got something coming up September 26. Netanyahu has got to decide if he's going to extend the freeze on settlements. And that's -- whole talks could collapse very shortly if he decides to go forward. But there's a lot of pressure in Israel to have some kind of settlement.
COOPER: How much rides on President Obama for this? I mean, is it -- is it -- is there a lot riding on it for him? I mean, obviously, if there's progress, that reflects well on him. But if there's not, I mean, is there any blowback for that?
GERGEN: Well, we have seen in the past when President Clinton got deeply involved and President Bush got deeply involved, they came -- they made progress, and then things failed and there was renewed violence. You know, so, you can go backwards if you try too hard.
But you know, what's interesting here, Anderson, is that King Abdullah of Jordan called directly on President Obama tonight to inject himself to be the leader in these talks.
And just last night, of course, President Obama gave a speech to this country, saying, "We're pivoting. We're going to make jobs and the economy here at home my central concern of this administration."
Within -- within 24 hours he's off launching this critical new phase in the Middle East, which is going to demand his time. I think a lot of Americans would get whiplash watching this.
So from my perspective, Anderson, I think it's going to be really important that he give Hillary Clinton and George Mitchell, her negotiator, a lot of responsibility in these early months while he focuses on the economy. I just don't see how he can go off and spend sort of Kissingerian time on the Middle East. I just don't think that's going to -- I don't think that serves the country's interest, and I just don't think that he's going to want to do that right now.