Have you heard….?

US President Barak Obama and Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, have had, to use a term beloved by their critics, ‘disproportionate’ media coverage of their recent speeches concerning the unrest throughout the Middle East and North Africa in general and the Arab-Israeli conflict in particular, and rightly so.

The number of diverse interpretations put on their words is as numerous as the commentators making them. What is not in dispute is the assent both received from their audience.

Obama, after outlining US policy on the Middle East and North Africa 3 days earlier, speaking to AIPAC on May 22, 2011, received almost unanimous applause as did Netanyahu a couple of days later. And standing ovations constantly interrupted Netanyahu’s speech to the joint congress of US government, as during his address to AIPAC.

But, what did they say and what did they mean? Here are the reported transcripts of their speeches. Your interpretations are as relevant as anyone’s.

Did he say what he meant? Or meant what he said?

President Barack Obama. “A Moment of Opportunity”. U.S. Department of State. May 19, 2011.

“For the Palestinians, efforts to delegitimize Israel will end in failure. Symbolic actions to isolate Israel at the United Nations in September won’t create an independent state. Palestinian leaders will not achieve peace or prosperity if Hamas insists on a path of terror and rejection. And Palestinians will never realize their independence by denying the right of Israel to exist.

As for Israel, our friendship is rooted deeply in a shared history and shared values. Our commitment to Israel’s security is unshakeable. And we will stand against attempts to single it out for criticism in international forums”. 

(Full speech)

Remarks by the US President at the AIPAC Policy Conference.
22/05/2011

“Israel’s existence must not be a subject for debate,” and “efforts to chip away at Israel’s legitimacy will only be met by the unshakeable opposition of the United States…. No country can be expected to negotiate with a terrorist organization sworn to its destruction.  And we will continue to demand that Hamas accept the basic responsibilities of peace, including recognizing Israel’s right to exist and rejecting violence and adhering to all existing agreements”. 

(Full speech)

Speech by PM Netanyahu to a Joint Meeting of the U.S. Congress
24/5/2011

“The peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan are vital. But they're not enough. We must also find a way to forge a lasting peace with the Palestinians. Two years ago, I publicly committed to a solution of two states for two peoples: A Palestinian state alongside the Jewish state…. This is not easy for me. I recognize that in a genuine peace, we will be required to give up parts of the Jewish homeland. In Judea and Samaria, the Jewish people are not foreign occupiers. We are not the British in India. We are not the Belgians in the Congo. This is the land of our forefathers, the Land of Israel…. It is time for President Abbas to stand before his people and say… "I will accept a Jewish state." Those six words will change history”. 

(Full speech) 

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