Obama urges Israel to accept 2-state solution

The US has urged the new Israeli hard-right government to accept the “two-state” solution and work for the creation of a Palestinian State. "I am a strong supporter of a two-state solution. I have articulated that publicly, and I will articulate that privately. And I think that there are a lot of Israelis who also believe in a two-state solution," said President Barack Obama after a meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah in Washington. Obama also predicts good-faith gestures from both Palestinians and Israelis in coming months. "What we have to do is step back from the abyss," he said, adding that the two-state solution would bring an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Obama said he plans to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas, and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak by early June in an effort to revive the Middle East peace process. Meeting the popularly elected Palestinian Hamas government officials is not on Obama's itinerary. In compliance with the Israeli demands, the US has so far refused to meet the Hamas government officials who control the Gaza strip. US officials have instead opted to negotiate with Mahmoud Abbas, who has only nominal control over the Israeli occupied West Bank. The comments came as Netanyahu's administration has challenged Obama's Middle East policy, having refused to recognize the prospect for Palestinian statehood. Obama is trying to push Netanyahu into accepting the principle of a two-state solution, which has formed the basis of US policy over the past few years. "I agree that we can't talk forever, that at some point steps have to be taken so that people can see progress on the ground. And that will be something that we will expect to take place in the coming months," Obama said.