Middle East: US urges Israel to learn from regional conflicts

Al Jazeera

US vows Israel on jittery ME situation

Top US Middle East advisor Dennis Ross says the Israeli regime should draw lessons from the Egyptian revolution with respect to the Palestinian issue and that the status quo was “unsustainable.”

Addressing an audience on the third day of the J Street's annual conference in Washington on Monday, Ross said,” If Israel can view one lesson from the events in Egypt; it is the danger of getting stuck with an unsustainable status quo.”

“Just as the frustrations in Egypt grew over time,” he said, “we should all recognize that the conflict with the Palestinians will only become more intractable over time.”

The White House advisor insisted that despite all the budgetary challenges, the United States will continue supporting Israel's security needs, including the funding of the "Iron Dome” missile defense system.

“Change in Egypt has created concern for many in the region; Egypt has been a pillar for Israel's pursuit of peace. The last thing we want to see is extremists benefit from the situation," the Obama assistant maintained, adding that with regards to Israel "it's [in] the interest of Egypt that the peace becomes warmer, not colder."

Changing the topic to Iran, the top US official said, "we will keep an eye on Iran and the pressure on. While the door will always remain open for diplomacy, but we remain determined to prevent Iran from acquiring the nuclear weapons and we won't be deflected from this goal."

The US and its allies have been repeating their unsubstantiated claims that Iran is intent on engaging in a nuclear weapons program, an allegation that has been proven false by every IAEA (The International Atomic Energy Agency) report on Iran's civilian nuclear program. Tehran has also vehemently rejected such claims as more publicity than substance.

The IAEA's recent report has just reconfirmed the non-diversion of Iran's nuclear program towards a military objective.



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