The Oregonian · Portland, Oregon · 21 September 2011
CP-2011-019
Obama opposes Palestinian statehood measure
The president says he favors a separate state but not through a U.N. resolution
By SCOTT WILSON, WASHINGTON POST-BLOOMBERG
Transcribed from the clipping
NEW YORK — Speaking before the U.N. General Assembly last year, President Barack Obama urged those who support a two-state solution to the long conflict between Israelis and Palestinians to “reach for what’s best within ourselves.”
“If we do,” he said, “when we come back next year, we can have an agreement that will lead to a new member of the United Nations — an independent, sovereign state of Palestine, living in peace with Israel.” That goal has grown more remote since Obama spoke those words.
As he returns today to address the General Assembly, Obama is facing a vexing diplomatic challenge: to explain how his hopes of last year square with his opposition this year to a Palestinian bid for statehood. Obama will specifically address, his advisers say, the lack of progress in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, an issue he made a priority upon taking office.
Obama will seek to draw a distinction between his support for Palestinian statehood and his opposition to pursuing that goal through the United Nations. He will be doing so for two audiences — one suspicious of his intentions toward Israel, the other seeking to understand how he can encourage self-rule in some places and not in others.
His ability to make his case has implications for his re-election prospects — highlighted Tuesday when a leading GOP rival forcefully criticized his handling of Israel — and for his diplomatic overture to Muslims abroad.
“We would not be here today at the very precipice of such a dangerous move if the Obama policy in the Middle East wasn’t naive, arrogant, misguided and dangerous,” Texas Gov. Rick Perry said in a speech here attended by Israeli and American Jewish leaders.
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Cite this clipping
"Obama opposes Palestinian statehood measure," The Oregonian, 21 September 2011, p. A7. Covering Palestine archive, CP-2011-019. https://coveringpalestine.org/archive/cp-2011-019
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Last updated 2 November 2026
This record is part of Covering Palestine, an archive of American newspaper clippings about Palestinians, 1724 to 2023. Researched and assembled by Maria Robles.
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