Obama: "...US was not always 'Honest' With Israel..."

Michael Shear in the WaPo, here

"On the eve of his trip to the Middle East, President Obama promised today a dose of tough love for a new Israeli government that has signaled significant disagreement with his administration's policy for the region.

Obama described the U.S.-Israeli relationship as a special one in which Americans are "deeply sympathetic" toward what he called a "stalwart ally," but he made it clear that he will continue to push the country's new prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, toward acceptance of a Palestinian state. "Part of being a good friend is being honest," Obama told National Public Radio in an interview taped this afternoon. "And I think there have been times where we are not as honest as we should be about the fact that the current direction, the current trajectory, in the region is profoundly negative, not only for Israeli interests but also U.S. interests. And that's part of a new dialogue that I'd like to see encouraged in the region."

Obama called the status quo "unsustainable when it comes to Israeli security," and he promised to use his trip to make clear that the United States will follow through on its commitment to peace in the region.

"It is important for us to be clear about what we believe will lead to peace," Obama said. "That there is not equivocation and there is not a sense that we expect only compromise on one side. It's going to have to be two-sided.".............In the interview, he said he plans to project "what our ideals are," but said the United States will not lecture other nations when they fall short on human rights and democracy.

"We're not going to get countries to embrace various of our values simply by lecturing or through military means," he said. "We can stand up for human rights, stand up for democracy. But I think it's a mistake for us to somehow suggest that we're not going to deal with countries around the world in the absence of their meeting all our criteria for democracy."

The president said that discussions with the militant Hamas party, which controls the Gaza Strip, could "potentially proceed," but only if the group accepts a set of conditions that include recognizing Israel's right to exist, renouncing violence and abiding by previous agreements...."