Barack Obama pledges support for Palestinian statehood

Barack Obama has reassured Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, of Washington's support for Palestinian statehood during his first visit to the White House.
Following their Oval Office talks, Mr Obama said he was "confident" of moving the Middle East peace process forward and said freezing the expansion of settlements was now a public priority for the US.
Mr Obama said that "time is of the essence" in securing Arab Israeli peace and that it is "in US interests to do so quickly".
After years of being shut out the White House during the Bush Administration, the Palestinian delegation was encouraged to find a President prepared to push back against Israeli positions that conflict with the "road map" for peace.
Mr Obama declared that Israel had the obligation of "stopping settlements," but warned that Palestinians must also crack down on anti-Israel violence and incitement in schools, mosques and public places.
A freeze on settlements has been US policy for years, but in practice expansion has been tolerated, to the fury of Palestinians. Mr Abbas has ruled out restarting peace talks until Israel removes all roadblocks and freezes settlement building.
During a brief press conference Mr Obama also said he was confident that Israel would recognise that a two-state solution was in the interests of its security.
However earlier in the day Israel dismissed an unequivocal US demand to stop building Jewish settlements on Palestinian territory, as it headed for a direct confrontation with its most important ally and sponsor.
Responding to blunt comments made by Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, an Israeli government spokesman said "normal life" would continue in West Bank settlements – a euphemism for further construction to accommodate population growth. Mark Regev , the Israeli government spokesman, said the fate of settlements "will be determined in final status negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians and in the interim, normal life must be allowed to continue in those communities".
Earlier this week Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, told his cabinet that construction would continue in existing settlements.
Mrs Clinton used particularly blunt language when restating Mr Obama's insistence that the building should stop.
"He wants to see a stop to settlements. Not some settlements, not outposts, not natural growth exceptions," she said.
The comments were the clearest example yet of the rift emerging between the President, who has vowed vigorously to pursue the peace process as part of a changed approach to the region, and Mr Netanyahu, who presides over a hard line government that is largely opposed to concessions.