WASHINGTON (EJP)—A “pause” might be needed in US-brokered peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, US President Barack Obama said on Friday.
Speaking at a news conference in Seoul, Obama called the Palestinian unity pact between President Mahmoud Abbas and rival Islamist Hamas group “unhelpful” and said it was one of a series of choices the two sides had made in recent weeks that had hurt the chances of reaching a peace deal.
On Thursday, Israel decided to suspend its participation in negotiations with the Palestinians in response to the Palestinian deal. Hamas is considered as a terrorist organization by Israel and the US.
“There may come a point at which there just needs to be a pause and both sides need to look at the alternatives,” President Obama said.
While Obama insisted he was not ready to abandon his quest for Middle East peace, he said: “What we haven’t seen is, frankly, the kind of political will to actually make tough decisions, and that’s been true on both sides.”
“We will continue to encourage them to walk through that door. Do I expect that they will walk through that door next week, next month, or even in the course of the next six months? No,” Obama said.