“We’re going to make sure that the Palestinians have a state that allows them to prosper as long as we also have certainty that Israel’s security is not being compromised,” Obama told NBC’s Meet the Press earlier this week. “I think it’s in the interest of both parties, but we are the critical ingredient in terms of making sure that a deal actually gets done.” He added that if the U.S. can “solve” the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, “then that will make it easier for Arab states and the Gulf States to support us when it comes to issues like Iraq and Afghanistan.” Continued Obama: “It also will weaken Iran, which has been using Hamas and Hezbollah as a way to stir up mischief in the region. If we’ve gotten an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal, maybe at the same time peeling Syria out of the Iranian orbit, that makes it easier to isolate Iran so that they have a tougher time developing a nuclear weapon.” http://frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=586B3BE8-CE5E-43B1-B86C-9313FA69866B