President Barack Obama says the Israelis and Palestinians must find a way to live side by side, peacefully as two independent states, arguing that this solution ultimately is the only way to end bloodshed and violence.
Obama recognized the long U.S. alliance with Israel in a speech Thursday at Cairo University, calling the bond "unbreakable."
But he also said "the situation for the Palestinian people is intolerable." He said America will support any efforts by any parties that recognize the legitimate aspirations of both the Israelis and the Palestinians.
Obama said the "United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements." And he called on Palestinians, particularly the Hamas faction, to "abandon violence" and recognize Israel's right to exist.
President Barack Obama says the United States has no intention of keeping its troops in Afghanistan and America seeks no permanent military bases there.
Obama calls it costly and politically difficult to continue the conflict. But he says there still are violent extremists in Afghanistan and Pakistan who are determined to kill Americans.
Obama is stressing that the U.S. will not weaken its commitment to rooting out terrorists. But he says military might must be paired with diplomatic efforts.
Obama also discussed Iraq in his speech to Muslims, saying that the United States learned from that war that America needs to use diplomacy and build international consensus to resolve problems whenever possible
President Barack Obama's speech reaching out for a fresh start with the Islamic world was laced with references to the Koran and his Muslim roots.
Obama quoted the Holy Koran as commanding, "Be conscious of God and speak always the truth." He said he shared that conviction, as "rooted in my own experience." The president noted that while he now is a Christian, his father had come from a Kenyan family that "includes generations of Muslims."
He pointed to a Muslim - Rep. Keith Ellison, a Minnesota Democrat - as the first to be elected to Congrress, saying he took the oath "using the same Holy Koran that one of our Founding
Fathers, Thomas Jefferson, kept in his personal library." Obama also quoted from the Holy Bible and the Jewish Talmud in making his argument for better relations between the United States and the Muslim world.
President Barack Obama says women should have the right to choose whether they want to be equal with men.
He discussed women's rights in a speech about America's relationship with the Muslim world.
The U.S. president says doesn't believe that women must make the same choices as men in order to be equal. And he says he respects women who choose traditional roles. But he says women should have that choice.
So, Obama is promising that the United States will partner with Muslim countries to support expanded literacy for girls and will help young women pursue jobs through a micro-financing program.
President Barack Obama says no country should try to impose a system of government on another nation.
It was a direct rebuke to efforts by his predecessor - George W. Bush - to spread democracy worldwide. And, it signaled to Muslim nations that Obama's administration won't follow suit.
Obama says America doesn't presume to know what is best for everyone. And, he says the U.S. doesn't presume to pick the outcome of a peaceful election.
But Obama also says he believes governments must reflect the will of their people. And, he says he believes all people want to be able to speak their minds and have a say in how they are governed. He says he believes people want to have confidence in law and justice, as well as a transparent government and the freedom to live as they choose.
