“We will deepen our support of the Palestinians’ state-building efforts, because we recognize that a Palestinian state, achieved through negotiations, is inevitable".
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reiterated on Friday its country commitment to the “Peace Process” between the Palestinians and the Israelis, saying a Palestinian state achieved through negotiation “is inevitable”.
At the Brookings Institution’s Saban Forum dinner, Clinton said: “We will deepen our support of the Palestinians’ state-building efforts, because we recognize that a Palestinian state, achieved through negotiations, is inevitable.”
“We will push the parties to grapple with the core issues. We will work with them on the ground to continue laying the foundations for a future Palestinian state. And we will redouble our regional diplomacy,” Clinton said, adding that she will not lose hope to reach a deal.
“When one way is blocked, we will seek another. We will not lose hope and neither should the people of the region.”
She noted that she shares “the deep frustrations” of so many invested in the peace process who have been concerned at its foundering in recent days.
But she said the US would be consulting assiduously with the parties to try to reignite direct talks.
Clinton's speech marked her first Middle East policy address after the United States abandoned efforts this week to persuade Israel to stop new construction of Jewish settlements, a step the Palestinians said was essential if they were to resume direct peace talks which collapsed just weeks after their September launch.
Clinton also criticized the two parties, who had "not yet made the difficult decisions that peace requires. Like many of you, I regret that we have not gotten farther, faster."
"Israeli and Palestinian leaders should stop trying to assign blame for the next failure and focus instead on what they need to do to make these efforts succeed," she said.
At the Brookings Institution’s Saban Forum dinner, Clinton said: “We will deepen our support of the Palestinians’ state-building efforts, because we recognize that a Palestinian state, achieved through negotiations, is inevitable.”
“We will push the parties to grapple with the core issues. We will work with them on the ground to continue laying the foundations for a future Palestinian state. And we will redouble our regional diplomacy,” Clinton said, adding that she will not lose hope to reach a deal.
“When one way is blocked, we will seek another. We will not lose hope and neither should the people of the region.”
She noted that she shares “the deep frustrations” of so many invested in the peace process who have been concerned at its foundering in recent days.
But she said the US would be consulting assiduously with the parties to try to reignite direct talks.
Clinton's speech marked her first Middle East policy address after the United States abandoned efforts this week to persuade Israel to stop new construction of Jewish settlements, a step the Palestinians said was essential if they were to resume direct peace talks which collapsed just weeks after their September launch.
Clinton also criticized the two parties, who had "not yet made the difficult decisions that peace requires. Like many of you, I regret that we have not gotten farther, faster."
"Israeli and Palestinian leaders should stop trying to assign blame for the next failure and focus instead on what they need to do to make these efforts succeed," she said.
