Obama addresses UN, says Middle East peace essential

UNITED NATIONS - In a speech that touched on the role of the United Nations and the actions of his administration, President Barack Obama focused Thursday on the "pursuit of peace" in the Middle East.

The alternative, he said, is that the "holy land will remain a symbol of our differences instead of our common humanity."

The 32-minute address before heads of state assembled for the UN General Assembly was twice interrupted by applause. Israel's delegation was absent because of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

"If an agreement is not reached, Palestinians will never know the pride and dignity that comes with their own state," Obama said. "Israelis will never know the certainty and security that comes with sovereign and stable neighbors who are committed to coexistence. The hard realities of demography will take hold. More blood will be shed."

Obama cited progress in negotiations between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, ongoing talks that were arranged by Obama's administration.

He also appeared to chide groups such as Hamas, the ruling authority in Gaza, saying that only by rejecting the use of violence can Israelis and Palestinians live in peace.

"It should be clear to all that efforts to chip away at Israel's legitimacy will only be met by the unshakable opposition of the United States," he said. But he repeated his request that Israel extend a freeze on settlements in the occupied territories; the moratorium, due to expire Sunday, is perhaps the most prominent sore point in the peace process.

He also said efforts to "threaten or kill Israelis will do nothing to help the Palestinian people."

"Make no mistake: The courage of a man like President Abbas - who stands up for his people in front of the world - is far greater than those who fire rockets at innocent women and children," Obama said.

In December 2008, Israel launched a three-week war against Hamas in Gaza, a conflict that left an estimated 1,400 Palestinians dead and killed about a dozen Israelis. A UN-sponsored inquiry completed this year found that both Israel and Hamas committed war crimes in the conflict.

Speaking to his constituents in the United States as well as an international audience, Obama opened his speech by saying that he has been preoccupied with shoring up the failing economy.

"I have had no greater focus as president than rescuing our economy from potential catastrophe," he said. "And in an age when prosperity is shared, we could not do this alone. So America has joined with nations around the world to spur growth and the renewed demand that could restart job creation."