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Obama: US 'Will Spare No Effort' for Middle East Peace

   VOA News 10 November 2010

Photo: AP

   U.S. President Barack Obama speaks in a news conference at the Merdeka
   palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, 09 Nov 2010

   U.S.  President  Barack  Obama  is  promising  America  "will spare no
   effort" in its attempt to bring peace to the Middle East.
   Mr.  Obama  spoke  about the difficult negotiations between Israel and
   the  Palestinians  Wednesday  during  a  speech  at  the University of
   Indonesia in Jakarta.
   He  said  enormous  obstacles  remain,  but  that the United States is
   committed  to  a peaceful future that sees Israel and Palestine living
   side by side.
   Mr.  Obama  had  expressed frustration over the peace process upon his
   arrival in Indonesia.
   During  a  news  conference  with  Indonesia's  president,  Mr.  Obama
   chastised  Israel  and  the Palestinians for not making what he called
   the "extra effort" needed to build trust.
   He  also criticized Israel's decision to build 1,300 new apartments in
   disputed  East Jerusalem, saying such activity is never helpful during
   peace talks.
   In  a  statement  Prime  Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office insisted
   that  "Jerusalem is not a settlement.  It is the capital of the state
   of Israel."
   But  both  the  U.S. State Department and the United Nations expressed
   disappointment with the Israeli decision.
   Palestinians   view   East  Jerusalem  as  the  capital  of  a  future
   independent state.
   The  Obama  administration  has been pushing Israel to curb settlement
   construction.  Disputes over the issue have brought Middle East peace
   talks to a standstill.
   Meanwhile,  Hamas  officials Wednesday accused Israel of arresting one
   of its lawmakers in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
   They  say  Israeli  forces  seized  Mahmoud Ramahi in an early morning
   raid. Â
   Ramahi  was  one  of  dozens  of  Hamas  lawmakers  arrested by Israel
   following  the  kidnapping  of  Israeli  soldier Gild Shalit in 2006.Â
   Israel released Ramahi last year.
   The  alleged  arrest  comes  one  day  after  the two main Palestinian
   factions  resumed  efforts to reconcile differences that have hampered
   the ability of their leaders to secure a Palestinian state.
   Officials from Fatah and Hamas met in Damascus, Syria late Tuesday.
   Fatah  is  loyal  to  Palestinian  President  Mahmoud Abbas and runs a
   Palestinian government out of the West Bank.  Hamas controls the Gaza
   Strip.

   Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.

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