Barack Obama yesterday offered his clearest pledge since taking office to pursue a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, as he took his message of remaking US relations with the Muslim world to Turkey.
Speaking in Ankara, Mr Obama urged Israel and Palestinians to “live up to the commitments they have made”, in what is likely to be seen as a rebuke to Israel's new rightwing government, whose foreign minister last week distanced himself from a 2007 US-backed process to create a Palestinian state.
The Palestinian Authority last night welcomed Mr Obama's statement while Israel's President Benjamin Netanyahu issued a brief statement saying: “Israel appreciates President Obama's commitment to Israel's security and to the pursuit of peace.” He did not mention the two-state solution.