Obama Just Finished His Speech In Israel, And People Are Already Saying He Made HistoryGrace Wyler Mar. 21, 2013 President Barack Obama delivered a bold message to young Israelis in Jerusalem Thursday, asking them to see the world through the eyes of their adversaries in the Middle East. Addressing students at the Jerusalem Cultural Center, Obama called on a new generation of Israelis to take up the peace process — including halting settlement construction — and work harder toward achieving an independent Palestine. Here is the key paragraph from his speech: But the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and justice must also be recognized. Put yourself in their shoes – look at the world through their eyes. It is not fair that a Palestinian child cannot grow up in a state of her own, and lives with the presence of a foreign army that controls the movements of her parents every single day. It is not just when settler violence against Palestinians goes unpunished. It is not right to prevent Palestinians from farming their lands; to restrict a student’s ability to move around the West Bank; or to displace Palestinian families from their home. Neither occupation nor expulsion is the answer. Just as Israelis built a state in their homeland, Palestinians have a right to be a free people in their own land.The speech was remarkably blunt, particularly considering Obama's fraught relationship with Israelis and their prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. At times, Obama even appeared to be trying to circumvent his Israeli counterpart, calling on his young audience to challenge political leaders on the peace issue. " I can promise you this, political leaders will never take risks if the people do not push them to take some risks," he said. "You must create the change that you want to see. Ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary things." The message was extraordinarily well-received, both by the audience and veteran Israel correspondents, many of whom are calling Obama's speech "historic."
