(21 Mar 2013)
1. Various of US President Barack Obama walking onto stage to give speech to Israeli students
2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Barack Obama, U.S. President: ++INCLUDES CUTAWAYS AND PAUSES FOR APPLAUSE++
"But the Palestinian people's right to self-determination, their right to justice, must also be recognised. Put yourself in their shoes - look at the world through their eyes. It is not fair that a Palestinian child cannot grow up in a state of their own, living their entire lives with the presence of a foreign army that controls the movements, not just of those young people, but their parents every single day."
3. Wide of stage, AUDIO: applause
4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Barack Obama, U.S. President:
"Just as Israelis built a state in their homeland, Palestinians have a right to be a free people in their own land."
5. Pan of crowd applauding
6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Barack Obama, U.S. President:
"The only way for Israel to endure and thrive as a Jewish and democratic state is through the realisation of an independent and viable Palestine."
7. Wide of stage
8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Barack Obama, U.S. President:
"Israelis must recognise that continued settlement activity is counterproductive to the cause of peace, and that an independent Palestine must be viable - with real borders that have to be drawn."
9. Wide of crowd applauding
10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Barack Obama, U.S. President:
"I've made it the position of the United States of America clear: Iran must not get a nuclear weapon. This is not a danger that can be contained, and as president I've said all options are on the table for achieving our objectives. America will do what we must to prevent a nuclear armed Iran."
11. Wide of stage, AUDIO: applause
STORYLINE:
US President Barack Obama delivered an impassioned appeal on Thursday for Israel to recognise that compromise with the Palestinians will be necessary to secure peace and lasting security for the Jewish state.
Telling an audience of university students in Jerusalem that the United States is their country's best friend and most important ally, Obama said the U.S. will never compromise in its own commitment to Israel's defence, particularly against threats such as the one posed by Iran and its nuclear programme.
But he also stressed that Israel must make peace with the Palestinians if it is to ensure its survival and long-term viability as a homeland for the Jewish people. Israeli occupation of areas that the Palestinians claim for their state must end, he said.
"The Palestinian people's right to self-determination, their right to justice, must also be recognised," he said. "Put yourself in their shoes - look at the world through their eyes. It is not fair that a Palestinian child cannot grow up in a state of their own, living their entire lives with the presence of a foreign army that controls the movements, not just of those young people, but their parents every single day."
Obama made no explicit demands of Israel but said its people should understand that specific actions, notably ongoing construction of Jewish housing on disputed territory, could hurt the chances for restarting stalled peace talks with the Palestinians, who have made a halt to such building a condition for returning to negotiations.
"Israelis must recognise that continued settlement activity is counterproductive to the cause of peace, and that an independent Palestine must be viable - that real borders will have to be drawn," Obama said.
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