Obama said it's up to the Israelis and Palestinians to 'reach agreement on the issues.' Obama: 'No shortcut to peace'

President Barack Obama told a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly Wednesday that Mideast peace “will not come through statements and resolutions” by the world body, arguing against a proposed resolution calling for U.N. recognition of Palestine as a sovereign state.

“I am convinced that there is no shortcut to the end of a conflict that has endured for decades. Peace will not come through statements and resolutions at the U.N. — if it were that easy, it would have been accomplished by now,” he said. “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.”


Obama has pledged to veto the Palestinian statehood bid if it comes to the U.N. Security Council. But Obama’s administration is also trying to avoid a veto by deferring a vote and urging Palestinians and Israelis to return to the negotiating table.

Saeb Erekat, a senior aide to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and former chief of negotiations, said Wednesday that the Palestinians will not accept a delay on the U.N. vote. “We will not allow any political maneuvering on this issue,” he said, according to The Associated Press.

Minutes after Obama spoke to the General Assembly, he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who called Obama’s actions on the Palestinian statehood push a “badge of honor.” Obama also met with Abbas on Wednesday evening.

“Peace depends upon compromise among peoples who must live together long after our speeches are over, and our votes have been counted,” Obama said during his remarks to the General Assembly. “That is the lesson of Northern Ireland, where ancient antagonists bridged their differences. That is the lesson of Sudan, where a negotiated settlement led to an independent state. And that is the path to a Palestinian state.”

Obama’s dedication to Israel has been questioned by critics, including GOP presidential candidate Rick Perry, former New York Mayor Ed Koch and some Jewish leaders. But the president stressed Wednesday that he stands with Israel. “America’s commitment to Israel’s security is unshakable, and our friendship with Israel is deep and enduring,” he said. “We believe that any lasting peace must acknowledge the very real security concerns that Israel faces every single day.”

“The Jewish people have forged a successful state in their historic homeland. Israel deserves recognition. It deserves normal relations with its neighbors,” he said. “And friends of the Palestinians do them no favors by ignoring this truth, just as friends of Israel must recognize the need to pursue a two-state solution with a secure Israel next to an independent Palestine.”

A year ago, in his speech to the General Assembly, Obama called for a plan for Palestinian statehood by this fall. But he emphasized Wednesday that he believed then, as he does now, that it must come through negotiations. He noted that he began a push for new negotiations in the spring. “Israelis must know that any agreement provides assurances for their security. Palestinians deserve to know the territorial basis of their state.”

The U.N. must support peace by encouraging negotiations rather than a vote on statehood, the president said.

“We will only succeed in that effort if we can encourage the parties to sit down together, to listen to each other and to understand each other’s hopes and fears,” Obama said. “That is the project to which America is committed. And that is what the United Nations should be focused on in the weeks and months to come.”

Though Israelis and Palestinians remain at an impasse, “we have set a new direction” with the killing of Osama bin Laden, the end of the war in Iraq and the wave of revolutions cresting in the Arab world, the president said. “This year has been a time of transformation.”

But Obama urged the U.N. to do more to support that transformation, including cracking down on government brutality. Without naming Syrian President Bashar Assad, Obama denounced his regime for killing peaceful protesters and urged the U.N. to impose sanctions.

“For the sake of Syria — and the peace and security of the world — we must speak with one voice,” he said. “There is no excuse for inaction. Now is the time for the United Nations Security Council to sanction the Syrian regime and to stand with the Syrian people.”

Obama also squeezed in a plug for the American Jobs Act, his $447 billion proposal to create jobs through a blend of tax cuts, state aid and construction projects. Though the global economy was able to avoid a recession in 2009, persistent economic troubles throughout the world mean that countries “must take urgent and coordinated action once more,” he said.

“Here in the United States,” Obama said, “I’ve announced a plan to put Americans back to work and jump-start our economy, at the same time as I’m committed to substantially reducing our deficits over time.”

Audience reaction was muted during the speech. At the end, Obama received polite applause.

Josh Gerstein contributed to this report from New York.