Hillary Clinton's visit to Israel focuses on Iran, Syria, and elusive peace with Palestinians

Israel's President Shimon Peres, and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, shake hands before their meeting at the President's residence in Jerusalem, July 16, 2012. / AP

(AP) JERUSALEM U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham and Israel's president spoke Monday about the need to halt Syria's violence and Iran's potential production of nuclear weapons, underscoring American support for an ally in a difficult neighborhood.

Clinton met President Shimon Peres for about an hour as part of what is perhaps her final visit to Israel as secretary of state, bringing a message of solidarity to the Jewish state after three-and-a-half years of only stunted progress toward a Palestinian peace deal.

After their visit, they each issued a statement to reporters without taking questions. Peres spoke about the importance of maintaining Israel's three-decade peace with Egypt, and decried the violence in neighboring Syria.

He also voiced support for the Obama administration's pressure on Iran to halt its nuclear activities — which has sometimes been a point of contention between a cautious U.S. keen to give negotiations and sanctions time to work and an Israeli government that has threatened military action.

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Clinton said she spoke with Peres about "Egypt and Syria, peace efforts, Iran and other regional and global issues." She said she'd speak in greater detail later Monday, after meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

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She returns to Washington early Tuesday, ending a 12-day, nine-country trip that included stops in Europe and Asia.

Her visit to Israel follows a weekend visit by President Obama's National Security Adviser Tom Donilon. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is expected to visit Israel soon.

Although Monday's agenda is designed to cover the breadth of U.S.-Israeli relations, the lack of action on peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians will be in the spotlight.

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Negotiations have almost been nonexistent for the duration of Obama's term in office. They resumed briefly two years ago before stumbling over the same set of problems, namely Palestinian demands for a freeze on Jewish settlements in lands they seek for their future state and an Israeli insistence on no preconditions for talks.

Asked in an interview Sunday with WJLA-TV, a Washington D.C. station, what he believed he failed at, Obama cited Arab-Israeli peace efforts.

"I have not been able to move the peace process forward in the Middle East the way I wanted," he said. "It's something we focused on very early. But the truth of the matter is that the parties, they've got to want it as well."

Clinton hasn't visited Israel since September 2010. With little to show for U.S. efforts on a two-state peace agreement and a hectic schedule before she steps down as secretary of state next year, it is unlikely she'll return. Clinton has said she would leave the post, even if Obama wins a second term.

The flurry of visits by top U.S. officials to Israel could reflect an administration attempt to shore up Obama's support among Jewish voters as the election nears. The president has pushed back forcefully against Republican claims that he is weak in defending Israel's security, and GOP candidate Mitt Romney is planning to visit Israel later this month.

[honest_pols]

CATCH THIS, AND COME BACK WITH A SOLUTION:

If it's taught as a religious obligation or 'holy duty' that all people must be made submit to Allah and become Moslem - by force or be murdered - then we are dealing with irrational religious zeal. If the same IMMUTABLE religious duty of Islamisation is carried over to land and/or territory, then as throughout mankind's shameful history, we can only expect continued murdering and dying for God ...

... until the religious zealots 'achieve' total Apocalyptic destruction.

[xJohnPx]

"The strongest and most intelligent will prevail!"

I believe the was the Nazi's justification. Are the ability to kill, steal and destroy other cultures really signs of intelligence.
Woe to the human race.

[Jame_Gum]

That was not the point! The Palestinians have as much right to Israel as the American Indians have to the United States.

It's time for them to get over it and move on. They will never get what they want, so why waste away their lives striving for the impossible?

[stopoil]

The only reason there is no Israeli Palestinian peace is that the Palestinians who are Muslim elected Hamas whose agenda is to kill Jews, destroy Israel and replace it with an Islamic state. The issues are blaring at us, their fundamental Islamic agenda to destroy Israel and never make peace is even written into the Hamas charter. Then there is their Iranian funding, weapons stockpile and smuggling, political actions to block peace, propaganda campaigns to influence world opinion against Israel, restrictions on dissent, brainwashing on its youth to hate Jews and destroy Israel, hideous portrayal of Jews in schools and their mosques. But the press is silent on this.
The USA has been at war with the same Hamas Islamic fundamentalism for decades with over 10,000 Americans having been killed and over a trillion dollars spent and counting. Hey, but maybe that is not enough of a story to get the hypocritical press to point out the obvious, the elephant of the room. The politically correct continue to cower. Why are there no reports and outrage against the Palestinians to get them to elect a moderate government willing to make peace with Israel? Why are there no reports on the lack of campaigns by American Muslims against Hamas and others like Hezbollah that are responsible for some many American deaths and money spent? Does Obama have a Muslim agenda by not dealing with the obvious Hamas fundamentalist Muslim agenda to destroy Israel?

[Jame_Gum]

Outstanding comment!

I would also like to know where the condemnation from American Muslims against Hamas and Hezbollah is! Do they support these criminal terrorist groups?

[stopoil]

to antiglobal15 - If 4,000 years of Jewish history on that land is not enough then maybe you want to give Florida back to Spain, Southwest USA to Mexico, Alaska to Russia and the rest of the USA back to the Indians?

[Jame_Gum]

These Israel haters will never understand this concept!

[RepubsAreFiscallyLiberal]

earth - you're an apologist.

[RepubsAreFiscallyLiberal]

There will never be peace with Israel, as Israel has no interest in it.

The rest of the world sees it, but the US has been blinded to the fact by religious zealots who will spend us broke on them.

It's fiscally liberal to defend Israel militarily, and just plain liberal to tarnish our image by sticking up for their criminal acts.

.

[Jame_Gum]

Israel has no interest in peace? Really?

It seems to me that if left completely alone, Israel would be the most silent country in the middle east. All Israel wants is peace.
Radical Islamists refuse to allow them to exist in peace.

If you look at history, Israel has offered to make peace with the Palestinians numerous times. The Palestinians are the ones who are incapable of living in peace with their neighbors!

[RepubsAreFiscallyLiberal]

Nothing revisionist in the least, earthy boi!

[smittyc]

Pretty selective reporting. Clinton was jeered in Egypt when her motorcade passed through to the U.S. Embasssy. Protesters threw shoes, rotten vegtables and bottled water while shouting Monica at Clinton.

[credibility2]

...totally agree...what is our media afraid of anyway...oh wait, they don't want to objectively report the news...only selectively and biased to continue making this failed administration look successful...

[usunus]

BBC too has blacked out this news.

[Goodbye_Obummer]

Somebody PLEASE give her a spatula and teach her how to make some cookies, now there's a good job for her.

[Jame_Gum]

How much time has to pass before Israel as well as the rest of the world realizes that the Palestinians want nothing to do with peace? They will never agree to what is being offered to them and the offer will never get any better than it is right now. In fact the longer they wait, the more Israel's population will grow and their settlements will continue to expand. Screw the Palestinians, they've had plenty of chances at peace and have turned away every offer!

[smittyc]

Wow, good assessment Gum.

[Jame_Gum]

antiglobal5

The point is, they will never get what the Israelis have. That's a fact!

How many countries in the world had different residents in ancient history than they have in the modern day? None of these countries are going to give up their countries because someone else was there first. The strongest and most intelligent will prevail!

Since the Palestinians have neither strength nor intelligence, they are where they are now. They should take what they can get before there's nothing left for them!