Obama, Netanyahu, Abbas Meeting: Share Your Views (SLIDESHOW)

President Obama brought together Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas today for the first time since the Israeli leader took office in March. Obama, speaking before the highly anticipated meeting, urged both leaders to do more to make Mideast peace talks a reality.

The meeting comes despite the Palestinians' demand that no meeting would take place unless Israel froze all construction in the West Bank.

Expectations for the meeting have been very low.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday: "Look, we're looking to continue to build on progress. I think part of that progress is getting the three parties, including the United States, together. And we have no grand expectations out of one meeting except to continue, as the President talked about from his very first day in office, continue the hard work, day-to-day diplomacy that has to be done to seek a lasting peace."

Israeli officials also said that the three-party session would be nothing more than a photo opportunity, and warned against an expectation of renewed peace talks.

What do you think needs to happen to get the Mideast peace process back on track? Share your opinions with the HuffPost community.

Do you have ideas that are not included in the slideshow? Leave your suggestions in the comments section below.

Settlement Freeze

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should agree to a complete freeze on construction in the West Bank. The Palestinians have insisted on this to proceed with peace talks.

comments(326)

Rate This Photo

(currently loading...)

Not necessary Crucial

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Now Make Your Own Top 5

And Share with Your Friends

Average rating: loading... out of 10

Crucial Elements For Mideast Peace

loading...

Choose Your Crucial Elements For Mideast Peace

 | Become a fan

Picked These as the Top 5 Slides in the Slideshow

Choose Your Crucial Elements For Mideast Peace

Users Who Voted on this Slideshow

loading...

loading...

HuffPost Community Top 5 Slides:

«»

 | Become a fan

Choose Your Crucial Elements For Mideast Peace

 

Get HuffPost World On Facebook and Twitter!

Comments

[GZLives]

The Arabs rejcetd peace and a State in 1948 in the hopes they could kill all the Jews and take it all. They lost. They tried again in 1967 and they lost and again in 1973 and lost.

Guess what? When you risk going to war and lose .. you lose, No do overs.
Had the Jews lost they'd be dead and gone.
That was the risk the Arabs took.
Too bad .. move on

[LeeCalif]

And Israel needs to tear down the Apartheid Wall.

[StopMakingSense2]

Stop throwing money down a rat hole! The best thing that could happen would be the earth opening up and swallowing the whole mess. Nobody wins!

[rich3324]

So why is this our fault if Israel and the Palestinians can't come to an agreement.

[thrdr]

The U.S. gives billions of dollars in aid to Israel, a large chunk of it military aid--arms paid for by us, U.S, taxpayers. Those arms are regularly used by Israel to slaughter innocent civilians in Palestine. That's our interest in the matter, anyway.

[AlgerianArab]

Because your government helps Israel more than it helps its sick people and the victims of floods.

[Paulo1]

OK, how about this.

Cut off all the cash and weapons for both sides and walk away. Its not like we have made any progress at all in the last 30 years of trying to be peace brokers. If both sides are so hung up on their "rights" and screaming about how horrible the other side is, well then fine, let them fight it out. They are going to anyway.

[thrdr]

We do not provide weapons for both sides. We provide weapons for Israel. And Israel uses those weapons to kill innocent people. Regularly.

[sshaler]

As one of the former Israeli foreign ministers once said, to paraphrase: the peace talks keep the world talking and meanwhile Israel creates the facts on the ground. Take a look at the changes in the map of Israel since 1948 and it's impossible to miss what's happening. Israel is taking the whole enchilada and there's not much to talk about. The only thing slowing them down is their strategy of trying to keep the world talking so they can avoid a direct reprimand. Not that a reprimand would make any difference but it would be uncomfortable. Israel's takeover of Palestine is a fait accompli and the US isn't going to hassle them about it. There are probably very few people involved in these talks that don't know this already.

[talkitreal]

Benjamin Netanyahu has no control over the people in his own country of Israel, and THAT is the problem! Benjamin Netanyahu has shown that he can not get the people in his own country of Israel to stop builing settlements.
Jordan, and Egpyt (the only Arab countries Israel has peace agreements with), BOTH of these countries have said that if Israel refuses to abide by the peace accord they signed years ago, and that includes stop building illegal settlements on Paletinian land, If Israel do not take real steps toward peace, then BOTH Egypt, and Jordan have said that they will no longer be Israels friends in the region. Israel will be all alone in the Middle East. If that is what Israel wants, then Netanyahu should continue on his stupid path. Netanyahu needs to know that his inactions are NOT hurting America, not one bit!.

[who38]

Benny can't control the people in his own country because they are being controlled by the same people who control the US Congress. You need to think global on this one.

[nowarpleez]

This is not Obama's fault. Blame the right wing government in Israel and the Israeli people that elected them.

[piul05]

Sure; it's not as if he's got a few billions (and a few gifts in the shape of armaments) for leverage...

[rosiebond007]

OBAMA HAS NOT LOST OUT YET - BUT MANY MORE WEEKS AND IT WILL BE A COMPLETE LOSS OF FACE.

IT'S HIGH TIME WE SQUEEZED ISRAEL UNTIL THEY SCREAM - REALLY SQUEEZE

[PoliticalRockChick]

It's been a mess for thousands of years. It was mess before Obama. It will continue to be a mess till the end of the world.

[Americafirst2008]

What are we getting for our hundreds of billions in taxdollars given to Israel?

More wars for religious jewish fanatics and more enemies, and compromised American security.

All from our 'best friend" Israel

HERE ARE THE FACTS ABOUT HOW MUCH WE GIVE ISRAEL, EVEN THOUGH THEY GIVE US THE FINGER AT EVERY TURN

http://www.rense.com/general31/rege.htm

[dmbraddy]

Hundreds of billions? Sorry, but that's just wrong. The correct figure for 2009 is $2.5 billion.

[Justtellthetruth]

3 to 6 billion per year with the "never to be repaid" (we have written off or forgiven most of Israels loans to date) loan guarantees.

The poster might have been referring to the total figure paid out over the last 30 years.

However, if you add in the cost of 9/11 and the war on terror, which the 9/11 commission and the Iraq study group agree was in part inspired by the ongoing occupation and settlements, then the cost is in the trillions.

[who38]

Well, that is $2.5 billion too much. We also give them military software and constant support at the UN. Those items are priceless.

[sonoffestus]

Four million "displaced" Palestinians should pull a "Gandhi"..­..........­.......In mass, peacefully march across the border and hold a sit in until the occupation ends. It will never happen, but it would be more effective than the circle jerk the world has experienced these past years.

[misaacm]

Sure, the Palestinians are going to do something, anything non-violently. Probably the day after the NRA does. Also, 4 million? Only 6-700 thousand fled in 1948. Don't they ever die of old age? Must be too much aid money allocated per refugee to ever take anyone off the census. Give the people locked in Syrian and Lebanese refugee camps citizenship, reattach the West bank to Jordan and Gaza to Egypt, from which they were captured and end this fight.

[alysheba 3]

Sure, give the Israelis a reason to scream invasion and kill every Palestinian before they even got to, never mind crossed the border.

[thrdr]

Non-violent protests happen regularly in Palestine. Trouble is U. S. corporate media almost never bother to cover these protests.

[karmafriend]

For every new "settlement" house that Israel builds, we should deduct at least 10 million in U.S. aid.

We do have the means to stop this.

[SteadyOn]

Agreed.

[Macready]

agreed . . as long as the US keeps giving financial and military aid to israel as long as the US keeps using its veto power in the UN to protect israel . . . there will be no peace in the Middle East .. the US is using our tax dollars to support a rogue state that breaks international law, and refuses to take responsibility for the many war crimes it has committed against the Palestinian people . . . I don't want my tax dollars supporting israel

if the US is serious about peace in the Middle East and justice for the Palestinian people which is long overdue . . . then it must pull the plug on Isael and ask for UN sanctions and trade embargoes . . . our Congress is a real stumbling block on this . . . we have to keep fighting . . . for justice for the Palestinians . . . israel signed the Camp David accord but has not honoured it . . . israel has nuclear weapons . . . but does not declare them . . and won't even sign up to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty . . is US is serious about reducing nuclear weapons . . why doesn't it get israel to fess'up . . too much hypocrisy . . . too much kow towing to a rogue state that flips the US the bird . . while it howls about the Golstone Report and expects

[Macready]

I apologise for the spelling error and the break . . . so just want to finish . . . israel is howling about the Goldstone Report and expects the US to use its veto power against it . . . if the US does this it will be committing a criminal act . . . Justice Goldstone has a proven track record for fairness . . . . the report must be acted upon . . Israel must be held accountable for its many war crimes and human rights violations . . . it's not a pretty sight but they have to accept responsibility for their actions

[JoeBlough]

Frustrated??? - They have been doing this dance for almost 60 years. It's time we took a paas. It's not our problem. Let's improve America first.

[sshaler]

The US can't take a pass unless it stops paying for Israel's military. Until then, the US is actively involved in all of Israel's aggression.

[Seattlelite]

All Israel has to do is stop building settlements, but they refuse to do that and the world continues to pay the price.