JpostTV report on Obama's historical visit to Israel, the US President's first diplomatic excursion of his second term.
By CAMILLA SCHICKObama waving after speech in Jerusalem 390(photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem/The Jerusalem Post)
Over the past week Israel hosted US President Barack Obama on his first presidential trip to the country, and his first diplomatic excursion abroad since taking office for a second term.While Obama's visit has been criticized for not having any immediate impact on peace negotiations in the region, over two days he managed to reassure of America's unwavering support towards maintaining Israel's security as well as wider Middle East stability, condemn the violence and risk of a chemical weapons overspill from Syria's ongoing civil conflict, and call for further diplomacy over the Iranian nuclear threat while assuring 'all options are on the table'.He praise the Palestinian Authority leaders for their work over the past five years in building infrastructure towards securing a viable Palestinian state, called for an end to the occupation, and expressed his unwavering commitment for a two state solution.He expressed his acceptance of the Jewish state, publicly acknowledging both the ancient ties and modern political significance of the Jews underlying its existence, with his trips to see the Dead Sea Scrolls and Mount Herzl.And he charmed the next generation of Israelis, with his expressions of promise and hope for their vibrant democracy's future, at his epicentral speech in Jerusalem.Just before he left for Jordan, he encouraged PM Netanyahu who picked up the phone and spoke with Turkey PM Erdogan for the first time since their stalemate began after the Mavi Marmara flotilla incident in 2010, a first step towards repairing cold relations between both countries.While all remains said rather than done for now, it's not too bad for two days work. Footage: Hadas ParushReuters
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