Obama: ‘Break Out of the Current Impasse’
President Obama reiterated his call for an investigation into the flotilla confrontation and urged parties in the Middle East to transform the situation into a chance to advance the peace process.
In an interview with Larry King on CNN Thursday, Obama called the loss of life on the boat “unnecessary” and predicted that the Israelis would agree to an “investigation of international standards” because they recognize that the current situation “can’t be good for Israel’s long-term security.”
Obama said that Israel has “legitimate security concerns when they’ve got missiles raining down on cities along the Israel/Gaza border.” At the same time, he added, “you’ve got a blockage up that is preventing people in Palestinian Gaza from having job opportunities and being able to create businesses and engage in trade and have opportunity for the future.”
The president said: “I think what’s important right now is that we break out of the current impasse, use this tragedy as an opportunity so that we figure out, how can we meet Israel’s security concerns, but at the same time start opening up opportunity for Palestinians, work with all parties concerned – the Palestinian Authority, the Israelis, the Egyptians and others – and I think Turkey can have a positive voice in this whole process once we’ve worked through this tragedy. And bring everybody together to figure out how can we get a two-state solution where the Palestinians and Israelis can live side by side in peace and security.
Obama said that “we need to know what all the facts” before assigning blame for the confrontation.
“But it’s not premature to say to the Israelis and to say to the Palestinians, and to say to all the parties in the region that the status quo is unsustainable,” he said. “We have been trying to do this piecemeal for decades now. It just doesn’t work. You’ve got to have a situation in which the Palestinians have real opportunity and Israel’s neighbors recognize Israel’s legitimate security concerns and are committed to peace.”
A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism so that we can be prepared for whatever news 2025 brings.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO