President Barack Obama spoke critically of Israeli settlement activity and reaffirmed his commitment to the creation of "an independent and sovereign state of Palestine" in a Thursday news conference in the West Bank. "We cannot give up on the search for peace, no matter how hard it is. ... Too much is at stake," the president said at the joint news conference with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on the second day of his first official trip to Israel. Advertise | AdChoices Obama reaffirmed the "difficult" goal of a two-state solution, adding that Israel's program of settlements was unhelpful and...