[h=3]By CHARLES LEVINSON And COLLEEN MCCAIN NELSON[/h]
Associated Press U.S. President Barack Obama and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during their joint news conference in Ramallah, West Bank, on Thursday.
RAMALLAH, West Bank—President Barack Obama visited the West Bank City of Ramallah for a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday on the second day of Mr. Obama's first visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories as president.
Palestinian militants in Gaza fired four rockets into southern Israel shortly after dawn, causing damage to one home but no injuries, according to Israeli police officials. Once an almost daily occurrence, Thursday's strikes were only the second incident of rocket fire by Gaza-based militants since Israel launched an eight day air campaign against the territory last November that left 177 Palestinians and six Israelis dead.
Mr. Obama landed at President Abbas's Ramallah headquarters by helicopter late Thursday morning and was greeted by an honor guard of U.S. trained Palestinian security forces.
The two leaders walked a red carpet side-by-side in a brief arrival ceremony that stood in contrast to the more elaborate pomp and circumstance Israelis rolled out for Mr. Obama a day earlier.
Palestinians have voiced frustration over the little attention Mr. Obama has given them during his visit. Mr. Obama's working lunch with President Abbas and subsequent meeting with Prime Minister Salam Fayyad are his lone stopovers with Palestinian officials during his three-day visit.
Former Palestinian foreign minister and close Abbas aide Nabil Shaath wrote in an editorial published in the Israeli Haaretz newspaper on Thursday in which he said that Palestinians once held great hope that Mr. Obama would help them realize their dream of independent statehood, but that those hopes had long since faded.
"President Obama appeared to give up on his goal," of pursuing a two-state solution in his first term, Mr. Shaath wrote. He said it was unfortunate that President Obama "is not able to visit Palestine for more than a few hours."
During a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Barack Obama affirms the U.S.'s commitment to Israel's security in the face of many challenges.
"Racial segregation, including those enforced on public transportation, was a dark period in U.S. history," he wrote. "This is happening today in Palestine, a symptom of how severe the current situation is. Rather than calling for resumption of a meaningless 'peace process,' we expect real action on the ground."
The Palestinian Authority is short on cash and has struggled to pay its 150,000 public servants on time in recent months fueling popular discontent with the leadership. In addition to seeking financial aide, Mr. Abbas is expected to ask Mr. Obama to pressure Israel to make some confidence building measures to strengthen his domestic political standing, which many believe is at an all-time low, and allow him to resume peace talks without appearing to have caved.
At a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Barack Obama discusses the strong partnership between the U.S. and Israel.
For Mr. Obama, the visit with Palestinian leaders is a tricky diplomatic balancing act in which he must show support for the Palestinians without undercutting his message to Israelis.
[h=3]Obama in Israel[/h] See photos of Mr. Obama's first presidential visit to this country.
Associated Press Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed President Obama in Tel Aviv.
Before visiting Ramallah, Mr. Obama visited the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, where he toured an exhibit of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which include the oldest surviving manuscripts of the Old Testament.
In the days leading up to the visit, some Palestinians objected to the Israel Museum stop, charging that the Dead Sea Scrolls are artifacts that were stolen from the West Bank. The museum denies the charge, saying the scrolls were discovered, prospected, and sold in 1947 before the outbreak of the Arab Israel war of the next year.
For many Israelis, the Dead Sea Scrolls are an over 2,000-year old testament to the Jewish connection with Israel. Throughout his visit, Mr. Obama has highlighted his grasp of Jewish historical ties to Israel. Many Israelis criticized him during his first term after his first Middle East trip in 2009 when he gave a speech in Cairo that seemed to suggest Israel's right to exist was a response to the holocaust.
Thursday night Mr. Obama will deliver a speech to the Israeli people which he has said will deal more prominently with the peace process. The speech has been billed by White House officials as the centerpiece of Mr. Obama's visit.
—Josh Mitnick contributed to this article.
RAMALLAH, West Bank—President Barack Obama visited the West Bank City of Ramallah for a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday on the second day of Mr. Obama's first visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories as president.
Palestinian militants in Gaza fired four rockets into southern Israel shortly after dawn, causing damage to one home but no injuries, according to Israeli police officials. Once an almost daily occurrence, Thursday's strikes were only the second incident of rocket fire by Gaza-based militants since Israel launched an eight day air campaign against the territory last November that left 177 Palestinians and six Israelis dead.
Mr. Obama landed at President Abbas's Ramallah headquarters by helicopter late Thursday morning and was greeted by an honor guard of U.S. trained Palestinian security forces.
The two leaders walked a red carpet side-by-side in a brief arrival ceremony that stood in contrast to the more elaborate pomp and circumstance Israelis rolled out for Mr. Obama a day earlier.
Palestinians have voiced frustration over the little attention Mr. Obama has given them during his visit. Mr. Obama's working lunch with President Abbas and subsequent meeting with Prime Minister Salam Fayyad are his lone stopovers with Palestinian officials during his three-day visit.
Former Palestinian foreign minister and close Abbas aide Nabil Shaath wrote in an editorial published in the Israeli Haaretz newspaper on Thursday in which he said that Palestinians once held great hope that Mr. Obama would help them realize their dream of independent statehood, but that those hopes had long since faded.
"President Obama appeared to give up on his goal," of pursuing a two-state solution in his first term, Mr. Shaath wrote. He said it was unfortunate that President Obama "is not able to visit Palestine for more than a few hours."
During a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Barack Obama affirms the U.S.'s commitment to Israel's security in the face of many challenges.
"Racial segregation, including those enforced on public transportation, was a dark period in U.S. history," he wrote. "This is happening today in Palestine, a symptom of how severe the current situation is. Rather than calling for resumption of a meaningless 'peace process,' we expect real action on the ground."
The Palestinian Authority is short on cash and has struggled to pay its 150,000 public servants on time in recent months fueling popular discontent with the leadership. In addition to seeking financial aide, Mr. Abbas is expected to ask Mr. Obama to pressure Israel to make some confidence building measures to strengthen his domestic political standing, which many believe is at an all-time low, and allow him to resume peace talks without appearing to have caved.
At a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Barack Obama discusses the strong partnership between the U.S. and Israel.
For Mr. Obama, the visit with Palestinian leaders is a tricky diplomatic balancing act in which he must show support for the Palestinians without undercutting his message to Israelis.
[h=3]Obama in Israel[/h] See photos of Mr. Obama's first presidential visit to this country.
Associated Press Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed President Obama in Tel Aviv.
Before visiting Ramallah, Mr. Obama visited the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, where he toured an exhibit of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which include the oldest surviving manuscripts of the Old Testament.
In the days leading up to the visit, some Palestinians objected to the Israel Museum stop, charging that the Dead Sea Scrolls are artifacts that were stolen from the West Bank. The museum denies the charge, saying the scrolls were discovered, prospected, and sold in 1947 before the outbreak of the Arab Israel war of the next year.
For many Israelis, the Dead Sea Scrolls are an over 2,000-year old testament to the Jewish connection with Israel. Throughout his visit, Mr. Obama has highlighted his grasp of Jewish historical ties to Israel. Many Israelis criticized him during his first term after his first Middle East trip in 2009 when he gave a speech in Cairo that seemed to suggest Israel's right to exist was a response to the holocaust.
Thursday night Mr. Obama will deliver a speech to the Israeli people which he has said will deal more prominently with the peace process. The speech has been billed by White House officials as the centerpiece of Mr. Obama's visit.
—Josh Mitnick contributed to this article.