Circumstances

Here, we will discuss the circumstances surrounding President Barack Obama's remarks to the people of Israel.

The speech was delivered on the 21st of March, 2013, at the Jerusalem Convention Center, on the second day of US President Barack Obama’s official visit to Israel. Obama’s presence in Israel is connected to his intention of restating the United States’ support for Israel and presenting his two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Israel and Palestine have both been fighting for control of various areas in the Middle East, including the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. They have both refused to recognize the other as a nation state. The two-state solution means creating an independent State of Israel along with an independent State of Palestine, with a clear boundary between them. Across the years, there have been several initiatives to discuss two-state solutions, but they have all failed.

First, Obama talks about the multiple Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel, which have pushed the US to found and support the Iron Dome air defense system. Although the Iron Dome started operating in 2011, the issue of rocket attacks on Israel originates in the 1990s, when Israel was first attacked by Hezbollah. In his speech, Obama highlights the importance of...