President Obama made a final plea on Wednesday for Palestine to withdraw its petition to establish statehood through the United Nations and instead return to the negotiating table with Israel.
“Peace will not come through statements and resolutions at the UN – if it were that easy, it would have been accomplished by now,” Obama said in a 40-minute address to the U.N. General Assembly in New York. “Ultimately, it is Israelis and Palestinians who must live side by side. Ultimately, it is Israelis and Palestinians – not us – who must reach agreement on the issues that divide them: on borders and security; on refugees and Jerusalem.”
The General Assembly is expected to vote this week on whether to recognize Palestine as an independent state, even though the Palestinian Authority has failed to reach a peace agreement with Israel.
Obama reinforced his support for both Palestine and Israel during his speech, and while recognizing that “many are frustrated by the lack of progress” in Middle East peace talks, he said, “I am convinced that there is no short cut to the end of a conflict that has endured for decades.”
