Clinton expresses frustration at Mideast impasse
Clinton
Without suggesting a new path toward Mideast peace  Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton expressed frustration Friday with the Israel-Palestinian impasse while insisting the Obama administration will "not lose hope."
 She said the U.S. will keep pressing for a solution  and she called on Israelis and Palestinians to set aside their differences.
 "It is no secret that the parties have a long way to go and that they have not yet made the difficult decisions that peace requires " she said in a dinner speech at the Saban Forum  a Mideast policy seminar sponsored by the Brookings Institution think tank. "And like many of you  I regret that we have not gotten farther  faster."
 She spoke just days after the administration dropped an effort to persuade Israel to impose a temporary freeze on some settlement activity. The Palestinians insist that direct peace talks cannot resume until Israel halts settlement construction.
 Clinton made clear that she believes the Israelis and Palestinians are ultimately responsible for settling their long conflict.
 "Unfortunately  as we have learned  the parties in this conflict have often not been ready to take the necessary steps " she said. "Going forward  they must take responsibility and make the difficult decisions that peace requires. This begins with a sincere effort to see the world through the other side's eyes  to try to understand their perspective and positions. Palestinians must appreciate Israel's legitimate security concerns. And Israelis must accept the legitimate territorial aspirations of the Palestinian people. Ignoring the other side's needs is in the end self-defeating."
 Clinton did not mention the administration's frequently repeated goal of achieving at least the outline of a final peace settlement by September 2011. That goal was set when Israeli and Palestinian leaders came to Washington in September to resume negotiations -- a process that quickly broke down over disagreement on Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank.
 She pledged to stay actively involved  but she offered no new strategy for achieving the peace deal that has eluded other U.S. administrations.
 "The United States will not be a passive participant " she said. "We will push the parties to lay out their positions on the core issues without delay  in good faith  and with real specificity. We will work to narrow the gaps  asking tough questions and expecting substantive answers. And  in the context of our private conversations with the parties  we will offer our own ideas and bridging proposals when appropriate."
 Before her remarks  Clinton met the Palestinian prime minister  the lead Palestinian negotiator  the Israeli defense minister  Israel's former foreign minister and the U.N. special envoy for the region.
 On Thursday  Clinton held lengthy talks with Israel's chief negotiator. The administration's special Mideast peace envoy will travel to the region next week.
Without suggesting a new path toward [TGT] expressed frustration Friday with the Israel-Palestinian impasse while insisting the Obama administration will "not lose hope."
 [TGT] said the U.S. will keep pressing for a solution  and [TGT] called on Israelis and Palestinians to set aside their differences.
 "It is no secret that the parties have a long way to go and that they have not yet made the difficult decisions that peace requires " [TGT] said in a dinner speech at the Saban Forum  a Mideast policy seminar sponsored by the Brookings Institution think tank. "And like many of you  I regret that we have not gotten farther  faster."
 [TGT] spoke just days after the administration dropped an effort to persuade Israel to impose a temporary freeze on some settlement activity. The Palestinians insist that direct peace talks cannot resume until Israel halts settlement construction.
 [TGT] made clear that [TGT] believes the Israelis and Palestinians are ultimately responsible for settling their long conflict.
 "Unfortunately  as we have learned  the parties in this conflict have often not been ready to take the necessary steps " [TGT] said. "Going forward  they must take responsibility and make the difficult decisions that peace requires. This begins with a sincere effort to see the world through the other side's eyes  to try to understand their perspective and positions. Palestinians must appreciate Israel's legitimate security concerns. And Israelis must accept the legitimate territorial aspirations of the Palestinian people. Ignoring the other side's needs is in the end self-defeating."
 [TGT] did not mention the administration's frequently repeated goal of achieving at least the outline of a final peace settlement by September 2011. That goal was set when Israeli and Palestinian leaders came to Washington in September to resume negotiations -- a process that quickly broke down over disagreement on Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank.
 [TGT] pledged to stay actively involved  but [TGT] offered no new strategy for achieving the peace deal that has eluded other U.S. administrations.
 "The United States will not be a passive participant " [TGT] said. "We will push the parties to lay out their positions on the core issues without delay  in good faith  and with real specificity. We will work to narrow the gaps  asking tough questions and expecting substantive answers. And  in the context of our private conversations with the parties  we will offer our own ideas and bridging proposals when appropriate."
 Before [TGT] remarks  [TGT] met the Palestinian prime minister  the lead Palestinian negotiator  the Israeli defense minister  Israel's former foreign minister and the U.N. special envoy for the region.
 On Thursday  [TGT] held lengthy talks with Israel's chief negotiator. The administration's special Mideast peace envoy will travel to the region next week.