Obama ME Speech: Repressive Policies against Arab People No Longer Work, Ties With “Israel’ Unshakable

By Nour Rida

In his speech on the Middle East on Thursday, US President Barack Obama said that the uprisings sweeping across the Arab world revealed that repressive policies will no longer work as people seek their freedom and human rights. Speaking at the State Department, he stated that Al-Qaeda's extremist agenda is now a dead-end in the Arab nations. Obama reiterated his support to its #1 ally in the region, the "Israeli" entity, assuring that delegitimizing "Israel" will end in great failure.

During his speech, the US President also stressed that the United States must change its policy or else face a deepening rift with the Arab world saying "A failure to change our approach threatens a deepening spiral of division between the United States and the Arab world."
He underscored that the United States must use all its influence to encourage reform in the region, but added that reform does not come alone.

Repression Will No Longer Work

"The events of the past six months show us that strategies of repression and strategies of aversion will not work anymore," Obama said, as he denounced the "relentless tyranny of governments that deny their citizens dignity."
Calling it the "story of self-determination" which began six months ago in Tunisia, Obama recalled the young Mohammad Bou-Azizi, who works as a vendor, set himself on fire to protest the police's confiscation of his cart.

"There are times in the course of history when the actions of ordinary citizens spark movements for change because they speak to a longing for freedom that has been building up for years," Obama said.

Bin Laden Was No Martyr, But Murder

Stressing that Bin Laden was a mass murderer rather than a martyr, Obama said that Bin Laden "rejected democracy and individual rights for Muslims in favor of violent extremism; his agenda focused on what he could destroy not what he could build."
"But even before his death, Al-Qaeda was losing its struggle for relevance, as the overwhelming majority of people saw that the slaughter of innocents did not answer their cries for a better life. By the time we found bin Laden, Al-Qaeda's agenda had come to be seen by the vast majority of the region as a dead end, and the people of the Middle East and North Africa had taken their future into their own hands," he added.

Assad Must Lead Transition or Get Out Of The Way

Tackling Syria's latest developments, Obama claimed that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad must "lead a political transition or get out of the way". He further claimed "The Syrian government must stop shooting demonstrators and allow peaceful protests. Otherwise, President Assad and his regime will continue to be challenged from within and will continue to be isolated abroad."
The US President also said that the Syrian people have shown courage to transition to democracy. He urged the Syrian government to stop what he called unjustified arrests of protesters and called on Assad to hear the ‘democratic demands' of his people.

Saleh Needs To Follow Through on Commitment

" we must acknowledge that at times our friends in the region have not all reacted to the demands for consistent change -- with change that's consistent with the principles that I've outlined today [ those of human rights and freedoms], Obama said.
Concerning Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, Obama said Saleh "needs to follow through on his commitment to transfer power."

Bahraini Government and Opposition Should Engage in Dialogue 

Moving on to Bahrain, another key regional ally to the US of which Obama described as "longstanding partner", he called for dialogue between the ruling party and the opposition. "We have insisted publicly and privately that mass arrests and brute force are at odds with the universal rights of Bahrain's citizens. The only way forward is for the government and opposition to engage in a dialogue, and you can't have a real dialogue when parts of the peaceful opposition are in jail," the US President said, stressing "The government must create the conditions for dialogue, and the opposition must participate to forge a just future for all Bahrainis."

US Commitment to "Israel" Unshakable, Palestinian State Based on 1967 Borders

"As for "Israel", our friendship is rooted deeply in a shared history and shared values. Our commitment to "Israel's" security is unshakeable. And we will stand against attempts to single it out for criticism in international forums," Obama stressed.
He described the lives of the "Israelis" as fearful saying that for decades, life for the ""Israelis" has meant living with the fear that their children could be blown up on a bus or by rockets fired at their homes."

He further said that the Palestinians' efforts to delegitimize "Israel" will end in failure. "Symbolic actions to isolate "Israel" at the United Nations in September won't create an independent state," the US President stated.
As for the Palestinians, Obama described their life has meant only "suffering the humiliation of occupation, and never living in a nation of their own."

He claimed that for the first time that "The borders of "Israel" and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps, so that secure and recognized borders are established for both states."

"The full and phased withdrawal of "Israeli" military forces should be coordinated with the assumption of Palestinian security responsibility in a sovereign, non-militarized state," he said adding "The duration of this transition period must be agreed, and the effectiveness of security arrangements must be demonstrated."

Obama concluded that the Mideast peace needs creation of: a viable Palestine and secure "Israel". He claimed that future of Al-Quds (Jerusalem) and fate of Palestinian refugees are keys to such solution. He said ultimately it is up to the "Israelis" and Palestinians to take action.