Britain urges ‘major push’ by next US president on Israel-Palestine

{mosads}Both candidates have vowed to rekindle Middle East peace talks in recent appearances.

“Among Israelis and Palestinians, the future must not belong to those who turn their backs on the prospect of peace. Let us leave behind those who thrive on conflict, those who reject the right of Israel to exist,” President Obama said during his Sept. 25 address to the U.N. General Assembly. “The road is hard, but the destination is clear: a secure Jewish state of Israel and an independent, prosperous Palestine.”

Republican candidate Mitt Romney for his part lambasted Obama’s inaction on the issue during last week’s foreign policy debate. Romney has come under fire for telling a closed-door fundraiser earlier this year that the conflict “is going to remain an unsolved problem” because “the Palestinians have no interest whatsoever in establishing peace.”

“Are Israel and the Palestinians closer to reaching a peace agreement?” Romney asked rhetorically. “No, they haven’t had talks in two years. We have not seen the progress we need to have, and I’m convinced that with strong leadership and an effort to build a strategy based upon helping these nations reject extremism, we can see the kind of peace and prosperity the world demands.”