Power of Words: Obama on the Middle East

I was struck by President Obama's choice of words when he talked about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He called for

"Two states living side by side in peace and security — a Jewish state of Israel, with true security for all Israelis; and a viable, independent Palestinian state with contiguous territory that ends the occupation that began in 1967..."

Obama made it quite clear that he feels Israel must keep its Jewish identity. At the same time, he described the West Bank as occupied territory. This vocuablulary seemed surprisingly blunt coming from an American president at an open forum. Was this language surprising to you? Do you think it can further the cause of peace or be a detriment to Obama's role as mediator?

I loved the way Obama reminded the UN Assembly what this (and all) conflicts are about:

"We must remember that the greatest price of this conflict is not paid by us. It's not paid by politicians. It's paid by the Israeli girl in Sderot who closes her eyes in fear that a rocket will take her life in the middle of the night. It's paid for by the Palestinian boy in Gaza who has no clean water and no country to call his own. These are all God's children. And after all the politics and all the posturing, this is about the right of every human being to live with dignity and security."

Amen.