Obama urges Israel, Palestinians to tamp down unrest

US President Barack Obama used a White House visit by Israel's president Wednesday to call for steps to prevent a deeper crisis between Israel and the Palestinians.

Greeting Reuven Rivlin in the Oval Office, Obama acknowledged a decades-old peace process was in deep-freeze mode, but he urged all sides to ease tensions.

"Obviously this is a time at which the prospects of a serious peace may seem distant, [but] it's important that we continue to try," Obama said.

A spike in violence has left Washington policymakers worried that the Palestinian Authority may collapse and frustrated Palestinians will turn to violence.

Since October 1, daily attacks and clashes between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers have killed 113 on the Palestinian side, 17 Israelis, an American and an Eritrean.

"I've been very clear in condemning the violence that is recurring inside of Israel, the need for leaders like (Palestinian) President (Mahmud) Abbas to unequivocally condemn the violence that has been taking place and the need to end incitement," Obama said.

"But also the need for Israelis and Palestinians to find mechanisms in which to dialogue."

Obama has acknowledged there will be no lasting solution to the conflict during the year he has left in office.

Before heading to Washington, Rivlin called for out-of-the-box thinking while seemingly ruling out the prospect of a permanent peace deal any time soon.

"What is the positive legacy we will bequeath to future generations in terms of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?" he asked in a Washington Post editorial.

"I regret to say it does not appear that we will be able to bequeath them peace -- but we can leave them other breakthroughs. Even if these are localized or embryonic, we can build trust between the two peoples and leaderships so that they will not begin like us today, starting from scratch."

- 'No greater friend' -

Both Obama and Rivlin stressed close ties between the United States and Israel.
Obama was keen to show that his poor relations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are not indicative of broader US-Israel ties.

"We consider our commitment to Israel's security to be one of the most important principles of American foreign policy, one that is shared by Democrats and Republicans alike," Obama said.

The White House had been infuriated by Netanyahu's decision to appear in Congress at Republicans' invitation, where he urged US lawmakers to vote against a deal to curb Iran's nuclear program.

Obama views the deal as a signature achievement that will close down Tehran's pathway to getting a nuclear bomb.

Netanyahu had also caused consternation at the White House by suggesting that a two-state solution was dead, although he later backtracked.

In contrast, Rivlin was effusive in his praise of Obama, saying "the obvious should be said from time to time and even be written: Israel has no greater friend than the United States."

Stressing close ties with Israel will do Obama's Democratic allies no harm at a sensitive point in the US political calendar.

Republicans hoping to replace Obama and the Democrats in the White House have assiduously, although sometimes awkwardly, courted Jewish voters, vowing to rip up the Iran nuclear deal or consider an all-Jewish cabinet.

All 14 Republican contenders for the White House took part in a forum backed by conservative billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson.

Meanwhile, Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump is expected to travel to Israel to meet Netanyahu on December 28.
Source: AFP