President Barack Obama utilized the annual White House Iftar dinner Monday evening to briefly discuss the crises unfolding in the Mideast.
"Even as we celebrate all that we have in prevalence, we ken that in an extravagant quantity of corners of the world, we visually perceive violence and terror, and those who would eradicate rather than build," he verbalized.
The White House Iftar dinner was commenced by former President Bill Clinton. President George W. Bush perpetuated the tradition after the 9-11 terror attacks. President Obama has withal perpetuated to host them.
The dinner is denoted to accolade Muslims who are celebrating the terminus of a day of fasting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
On the growing conflict between Israel and Palestinians in Gaza, the President staunchly forfended Israel's right to forfend its borders.
"No country can accept rockets fired indiscriminately at citizens," Obama verbalized. "And so we've been very pellucid that Israel has the right to bulwark itself against what I consider to be inexcusable attacks from Hamas."
He integrated, though, that "the death and injury of Palestinians is a tragedy, which is why we've accentuated the desideratum to forfend civilians."
The President additionally verbalized, "The pictures we are optically discerning in Gaza and Israel are heart wrenching."
He pushed for both sides to come back to the negotiating table and described an incipient plan offered by Egypt as "promising," verbalizing he hopes it "will renovate the tranquil that we've been seeking."
He verbally expressed Americans "care deeply about what is transpiring there, and I ken there are vigorous views as well as differences about how we should move forward.
"Our goal has been and perpetuates to be tranquility and security for both Israelis and Palestinians."
Obama additionally restated his administration's policy on Syria, telling those amassed that, "the Assad regime perpetuates its brutality against the Syrian people and so we perpetuate to avail Syrians stand up to [President Bashar al-]Assad and deal with the humanitarian crisis and push back against extremists."
On Iraq, Obama verbalized, "We perpetuate to call for an incipient regime that can cumulate Iraqis and show all communities in Iraq that they can advance their aspirations through the political process."
Earlier, several dozen protesters accumulated outside the White House to call on Arab bellwethers to boycott the dinner, verbalizing the administration was inequitably taking Israel's side in the Gaza conflict.
