https://www.polity.org.za
Deepening Democracy through Access to Information
Home / News / International News RSS ← Back
Close

Email this article

separate emails by commas, maximum limit of 4 addresses

Sponsored by

Close

Article Enquiry

'Moment may be passing' for two-state solution – Obama

Close

Embed Video

'Moment may be passing' for two-state solution – Obama

US President Barack Obama
Photo by Reuters
US President Barack Obama

19th January 2017

By: News24Wire

SAVE THIS ARTICLE      EMAIL THIS ARTICLE

Font size: -+

The prospects for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are waning because of growing Israeli settlement of the West Bank, Barack Obama has said in his final press conference as US president.

Obama said on Wednesday that his administration did not block a United Nations resolution on Israeli settlement activity last month because it felt a two-state solution was the only option for peace.

Advertisement

"The goal of the resolution was to simply say that the ... growth of the settlements are creating a reality on the ground that increasingly will make a two-state solution impossible," the US president said.

"It was important for us to send a signal, a wakeup call that this moment may be passing."

Advertisement

Cuba ties

Also in his final White House news conference, Obama defended his administration's rapprochement with Cuba and his move to end the "wet foot, dry foot" policy that lets any Cuban who makes it to US soil stay and become a legal resident.

Ending the visa-free path was the latest development in a warming of relations that has included the easing of the US economic embargo and the restoration of commercial flights between the two countries.

"That was a carry-over of an old way of thinking that didn't make sense in this day and age, particularly as we're opening up travel between the two countries," Obama said of the "wet foot, dry foot" policy.

Obama also defended his decision to cut nearly three decades off convicted leaker Chelsea Manning's prison term on Wednesday, arguing that the former army intelligence analyst had served a "tough prison sentence" already.

The president said he granted clemency to Manning because she had gone to trial, taken responsibility for her crime and received a sentence that was harsher than other leakers had received.

He emphasised that he had merely commuted her sentence, not granted a pardon, which would have symbolically forgiven her for the crime.

"I feel very comfortable that justice has been served," Obama said.

Manning was convicted in 2013 of violating the Espionage Act and other crimes for leaking more than 700 000 classified documents to WikiLeaks, the anti-secrecy website, while working as an intelligence analyst in Baghdad.

Formerly known as Bradley Manning, she declared as transgender after being sentenced to 35 years in prison. She had served more than six years before Obama commuted her sentence on Tuesday, with a release date set for May. Russia policy

In Wednesday's speech, Obama also called on President-elect Donald Trump to continue trying to persuade Russia to reduce its nuclear stockpiles.

He said that he tried to negotiate further reducing nuclear arsenals with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but he said Russia's leader was reluctant.

Obama also called on the next administration to lead by example and work to prevent big countries from "bullying" smaller nations.

He said that implementing sanctions on Russia following its incursion of Ukraine was a "good example of the vital role" America must play in advocating for and enforcing basic rights around the world.

On a personal note, Obama said that after leaving office on Friday he wanted to take time to process the "amazing experience" his family has gone through.

He said he wanted to write and to spend time with his daughters, Malia and Sasha.

Obama and his family will head for vacation in Palm Springs, California, after Trump is sworn in as president on Friday.

The White House has not said how long they will stay in California before they return to a rented home in Washington.

EMAIL THIS ARTICLE      SAVE THIS ARTICLE

To subscribe email subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za or click here
To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here

Comment Guidelines

About

Polity.org.za is a product of Creamer Media.
www.creamermedia.co.za

Other Creamer Media Products include:
Engineering News
Mining Weekly
Research Channel Africa

Read more

Subscriptions

We offer a variety of subscriptions to our Magazine, Website, PDF Reports and our photo library.

Subscriptions are available via the Creamer Media Store.

View store

Advertise

Advertising on Polity.org.za is an effective way to build and consolidate a company's profile among clients and prospective clients. Email advertising@creamermedia.co.za

View options
Free daily email newsletter Register Now