Free Republic

President Obama said Saturday that the chances of a permanent nuclear deal with Iran are at best no more than even odds, but that diplomacy still must be pursued. “I wouldn't say that it is more than 50-50 but we have to try,” Obama said at a Brookings Institution event. While some in Congress are trying to move tougher unilateral sanctions now, Obama urged restraint. He said that if Iran fails to meet its commitments under the temporary deal, the U.S. will be in a stronger position to seek more effective international sanctions after six months. The president explained at...

U.S. President Barack Obama said at the Saban Forum on Saturday that there must not be another Gaza in the Palestinian Authority-assigned areas of Judea and Samaria. Israel pulled out of Gaza in 2005, as part of the “Disengagement”. This resulted in Hamas taking over the region and escalating rocket attacks at southern Israel. Obama warned that in the event of a final agreement between Israel and the PA, there would be a "transition period" to ensure that Judea and Samaria does not become a security threat akin to Hamas-ruled Gaza. He said that the PA would have to accept...

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday defended the nuclear deal signed in Geneva between the West and Iran. Speaking at the Saban Forum in Washington, Kerry said his country would “not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon. Not now, not ever.” .....