Obama: "Israelis see rockets from Gaza & Lebanon & say to themselves that change is impossible..."

President Barack Obama gave his first interview to an Israeli outlet since taking office, to Yonit Levi, of Israeli TV Channel 2. Conducted Wednesday at the White House, it airs today at 1pm EST on Israel's Channel 2. Here are some excerpts:

Q. I'd like to actually open up by asking you about hope, which was such a prominent notion in your campaign and in your presidency. And how can you convey that concept of hope to Israelis, who’ve seen so many failed attempts at a peace process?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, look, it’s always a challenge. One of the things I used to say during the campaign but also at the beginning of my presidency is, being hopeful is not the same as being blindly optimistic. I think you have to be clear-eyed about the situation.
And Israelis, rightly, look at the past and have skepticism about what’s possible. They see the enmity of neighbors that surround them in a very tough neighborhood. They see a track record of attempts at peace where, even when concessions were made, a deal could not be consummated. They see rockets fired from Gaza or from areas in Lebanon, and say to themselves that the hatreds or history are so deep-seated that changed is not possible.
And yet, if you think back to the founding of Israel, there were a lot of people who thought that that wasn’t possible either. And if Herzl or Ben-Gurion were looking at Israel today, they would be astonished at what they saw -- a country that’s vibrant, that is growing economically at a extraordinary pace, that has overcome not just security challenges but also has been able to overcome challenges related to geography. And so that should be a great source of hope.
Q Can you tell us what is the thing you miss most about your life before the presidency?
THE PRESIDENT: Taking walks. There is a value to anonymity in terms of just being able to wander around, sit on a park bench, take your kids to get ice cream without having Secret Service and helicopters over you. That part of this life I'll never get used to. In fact, I remember when I first visited Jerusalem, I could wander through the Old City and haggle for some gifts to bring back to Michelle, or stand at the Wailing Wall, and people didn’t know who I was. And that is a profound pleasure that is very hard to experience now.

The last time -- the second time I went to the Wailing Wall, I put my prayer -- and somebody pulled it out, and the next thing I know it was printed in the newspaper. (Laughter.)