BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Good afternoon, everybody.
Upon taking office, I declared that America is a friend of each nation and every person who seeks a future of peace and dignity and that the United States was ready to lead in pursuit of that future.
At the beginning of my administration, I stated that it was our policy to actively and aggressively seek a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians, as well as a comprehensive way to peace between Israel and all of its Arab neighbors.
And to support my outstanding Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's leadership, I appointed special envoy and one of our nation's finest statesmen, former Senator George Mitchell, to guide our efforts.
As I've said many times our goal is a two-state solution that ends the conflict and ensures the rights and security of both Israelis and Palestinians. And despite the inevitable challenges, we have never wavered in pursuit of this goal.
I have met with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on many occasions. Between them, Secretary Clinton and Senator Mitchell have made countless trips to the region.
Over the past year, both the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority have taken important steps to build confidence. And with Senator Mitchell's support, Israelis and Palestinians have engaged in several rounds of proximity talks even in the face of difficult circumstances.
But we've always made it clear that the only path to lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians is direct talks between Israelis and Palestinians. Tomorrow, after nearly two years, the parties will relaunch those direct talks. Today, I had a series of very productive meetings with key partners in this effort. I urged Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas to recognize this as a moment of opportunity that must be seized. I thanked President Mubarak of Egypt and His Majesty King Abdullah of Jordan for their valuable leadership and for the support that will be necessary going forward. And I look forward to hosting these four leaders at a private working dinner at the White House tonight.
I also want to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to many friends and allies, especially our quartet partners and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair will be joining us as representing the quartet at the dinner this evening.
The purpose of these talks is clear. These will be direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. These negotiations are intended to resolve all final status issues. The goal is a settlement negotiated between the parties that ends the occupation which began in 1967 and results in the emergence of an independent, democratic and viable Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with a Jewish state of Israel and its other neighbors. That's the vision we are pursuing.
I know these talks have been greeted in some quarters with skepticism. We are under no illusions. Passions run deep. Each side has legitimate and enduring interests. Years of mistrust will not disappear over night. Building confidence will require pains taking diplomacy and trust by the parties. There is a reason the two state solution has eluded previous generations. This is extraordinarily complex and difficult. But we know that the status quo is unsustainable for Israelis, for Palestinians, for the region and for the world. It is in the national interests of all involved including the United States that this conflict be brought to a peaceful conclusion.
So even as we are clear eyed about the challenges ahead, so, too, do we see the foundation for progress. The Israeli government and Palestinian authority are already cooperating on a daily basis to increase security and reduce violence and improve conditions on the ground. Among the Israeli and Palestinian publics there is wide support for a two-state solution. The broad outlines of which are well known to both peoples. Even in the midst of discord, ordinary Israelis and Palestinians, faith leaders, civil society groups, doctors, scientists, businessmen, students, find ways to work together every day. Their heroic efforts at the grass roots show that cooperation and progress is possible and should inspire us all.
In addition, Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas are two leaders who I believe want peace. Both sides indicated these negotiations can be completed within one year. And as I told each of them today, this moment of opportunity may not soon come again. They cannot afford to let it slip away. Now is the time for leaders of courage and vision to deliver the peace that their people deserve.
The United States will put our full weight behind this effort. We will be an active and sustained participant. We will support those who make difficult choices in pursuit of peace. But let me be very clear. Ultimately the United States cannot impose a solution and we cannot want it more than the parties themselves. There are enormous risks involved here for al the parties concerned but we cannot do it for them. We can create the environment and the atmosphere for negotiations. But ultimately, it's going to require the leadership on both the Palestinian and the Israeli sides as well as those in the region who say they want a Palestinian state. A lot of times I hear from those who insist that this is a top priority and yet do very little to actually support efforts that could bring about Palestinian state.
So only Israelis and Palestinians can make the difficult choices and build the consensus at home for progress. Only Israelis and Palestinians can prove to each other their readiness to end this conflict and make the compromises upon which lasting peace deserves. What the rest of us can do including the United States is to support those conversations, support those talks, support those efforts. Not try to undermine them.
So the hard work is only beginning. Neither success nor failure is inevitable but this much we know. If we do not make the attempt, then failure is guaranteed. If both sides do not commit to these talks in earnest then the long standing conflict will only continue to fester and consume another generation. This we simply cannot allow. We know there will be moments that test our resolve. We know extremists and enemies of peace will do everything in their power to destroy this effort. As we saw in the heinous attacks near Hebron, which we have strongly condemned.
We also know this. Too much blood has been shed. Too many lives have already been lost. Too many hearts have already been broken. Despite what the cynics say, history teaches us that there is a different path. It is the path of resolve and determination where compromise is possible and old conflicts at long last can end. It is the path traveled by those who brought peace to their countries from Northern Ireland where Senator Mitchell was so deeply involved to the Balkans, to Africa, Asia, to those who forged peace between Israel and Egypt and Israel and Jordan. This path is open to Israelis and Palestinians if al sides persevere in good faith and with a sense of purpose and possibility we can build a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace in the Middle East. Thank you very much.
BLITZER: The president of the United States with the secretary of state Hillary Clinton and the special middle east negotiator George Mitchell the former U.S. senator in the rose garden the president insisting this moment of opportunity may not come again. He says the parties must seize this moment of opportunity right now and begin a one-year process of direct, face-to-face negotiations that will result he says with the goal ending the occupation that began in 1967 at a two-state solution, Palestine along what he said would be the Jewish state of Israel. All of these words are powerful. They resonate deeply with the Israelis and the Palestinians. Let's assess what we've just heard from the president of the United States, Gloria Borger our senior political analyst is here. So is John King. David Gergen is joining us as well. David, you've been involved in this process when you served four U.S. presidents. This is a dramatic moment. Tomorrow the secretary of state formally kicks of the direct face-to-face negotiations, something that hasn't occurred in almost two years.
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.
BLITZER: Right. If yourself talking about Iraq and Afghanistan, a crisis with Iran as we know and of course the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, these issues, John King, are enormous. I thought it was significant that the president brought King Abdulla of Jordan, the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to Washington as well to help give the Palestinian president some cover.
JOHN KING, CNN HOST: Very significant. Also significant that gentle shot he took at others in the region who he said always say they support a Palestinian state but don't seem ready to do the hard work to make it happen. You could take that as hello Saudi Arabia, hello Syria. You could take it as a hello to the others in the region who the president knows could undermine these negotiations through any number of actions. David mentioned jimmy carter. That was 32 years ago, Wolf. 32 years ago the historic peace agreement between Egypt and Israel. Since then every president has tried.
We both covered Bill Clinton. He got as close as any president has ever come to getting the Israelis and Palestinians to put ink to paper to a peace deal and it collapsed in the end. In part, one of the important reasons, said the regional partners, in part, not the only reason but in the end when Arafat started to waver a little bit the president then Bill Clinton could not get the Egyptians and the Jordanians and others to nudge him along because they complained they had not been involved at the beginning. They didn't know the details. So that was one of the reasons they had difficulties at the end. But none of the significant issues, the final status issues, Jerusalem, right to return, the borders, none of those are resolved and you have two leaders in a very weak position at home going into these negotiations. Most say that means it won't happen but others say sometimes when you're weak you cut a deal.
BLITZER: Gloria, it looks like President Obama has patched up his relationship with the Israeli prime minister Netanyahu especially today when he came out following that meeting to make that strong statement condemning the murder of those four Israelis on the west bank. GLORIA BORGER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I was talking to somebody in the administration about that today who said, yes, they have. But don't over state what the personal relationships have to do with this. If their goals, their political goals are the same and they both understand that the ultimate goal here really is to deal with Iran. And in that sense, Wolf, they're both on the same page. What the white house would like to do is to clear the decks here essentially and that's, you know, again, very, very difficult to do. Can't understate it but of course Israel wants to deal with Iran's nuclear capability and so does the United States. So in that sense, they had very much a shared interest.
BLITZER: We'll see how the talks actually proceed. Tomorrow over at the state department, the secretary of state, Hillary Clinton will start this process. She will sit down together with the Israelis and the Palestinians, Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas. She will start that meeting. We're then told she will leave and let the two leaders themselves, the Israeli and the Palestinian leaders begin these conversations which the president of the United States says should take about a year. We'll see if this works out or doesn't. All right. We'll continue to watch this story. There is other important news we're watching as well including a political unknown scoring a stunning victory in Alaska after being packed by the tea party movement.
Transcript from The Situation Room aired September 1, 2010