tom, this week, whatever criticisms you may have or i may have, bibi netanyahu goes back to israel and he's hail adhere row. >> there's no question when you stand up to foreign power, you inassert your demands, there's going to be a constituency that's going to support that. it's good work if you can get it. but what happens next week? i think we have to step back and really ask the big strategic question, why is israel popular? why has this been an enduring relationship all these years? why is that cameraman and that sound person support israel, whether they're jewish or not jewish? it's because we see them like us, we see them as a country that shares our values. and most importantly, we see israel as a bastion of democracy in the middle east. that's israel's greatest strategic strength vis-a-vis the united states. and what those of us who have been critical of prime minister netanyahu on this issue are basically saying is that's precisely what is imperilled if there is no peace agreement that allows israel to cede the west bank to a palestinian authority in a safe and secure way so

but then he urged israel to be for forward leaning, quoted theal mud, and i think bibi netanyahu has an opportunity to broaden his coalition. i would think the party in the center might join him if he welcomed them back in and that would make up for any defections on the right. this is a huge opportunity, as president obama said, both for him and for president abbas of palestine, to move forward and drop some of the old baggage. >> and in this speech, did we hear anything that if you or palestinian -- obviously that means different things to different people, certainly in terms of hamas and fatah, but did you hear something that you thought, this is good that he said that? >> well, i think the speech that he gave on thursday was in some sense weighted towards the palestinian side. and i think what he did today was correct the balance a little bit and answer some of the concerns that israelis have. but, you know, the palestinians have to show that they're in a position of being able to accept a settlement proposal, you know, a peace proposal was made to arafat, it was made to presiden

>> i listened to bibi netanyahu speak before the congress, which was well received -- >> i'll say. >> treated like a rock star there. i had a sense of sadness, that you can see what is inevitable. the peace talks will go nowhere , and that means that the confrontation is almost inevitable. what i cannot understand, and maybe somebody can explain it to me -- the statement that said that the united states believe that parties can agree on an outcome that has an independent, viable state based on a 1967 lines, and the israeli goal of a jewish state that recognizes subsequent to the elements -- subsequent developments. that statement was issued by hillary clinton and netanyahu last fall. when the president of united states essentially says the same thing, there is a big uproar. >> there is never -- they are never going to solve this problem. netanyahu is never going to do it. he is just incapable of doing it. and the palestinians are incapable of doing it. seven times they get is for an answer and they never do. >> mark? >> according to a poll in israel, a 57% of is rea -- israelis believ

but i must say again, i think that in many ways bibi netanyahu aggressively seized on the president's speech and made more of it than was actually i think intended because you know, he wants a basis for saying no to a lot of this going forward. he's got some very good points about hamas. when he says hamas is, you know, like al qaeda, to the israelis that rings really true. and he's clearly concerned about his own politics. >> david gergen, appreciate your insights tonight, as always. thank you, david. now, the president's disagreement with israel was one of the topics i discussed today -- thank you, david. was one of the topics i discussed today with republican presidential hopeful john huntsman. he's the former utah governor who until a month ago was mr. obama's ambassador to china. >> would you tell the prime minister of israel go into talks with the palestinians and start with the premise that you start with the 1967 borders? >> i would say you know best how to conduct this negotiation. it has gone on for a very long time and likely will continue going on a very long time. we can'

number one settlement expansion and all were number two and two state solution the fact is that bibi netanyahu has no interest in two state solution for any has no interest in slowing down the building of settlements and president obama like his two predecessors was deeply committed to a two state solution so there's a fundamental difference here agreement here and this is just the most recent example of that sure them following. despite stating that as i mentioned there they are wavering support for israel president obama also said that the state will be left in isolation if the peace process doesn't come in earnest so let's just listen to what president obama have a say for a second march to isolate israel internationally and the impulse of the palestinians to abandon the goetia actions will continue to gain momentum in the absence of a credible peace process and all turn we can't afford to wait another decade. or another two decades or another three decades. to achieve peace the world is moving too fast. the president said in pretty clear certainly the rhetoric spin ramped up do you think t

vote on palestinian statehood and then you've got the bibi netanyahu and to the right camp the reason post and others will be in that camp and they'll say absolutely not there is no way there's no partner and these borders are a disaster for israel so you're going to have a real fight start as a quick follow on to that. reading those publications and i've spent time in the region there's a large peace movement in israel music is a constant debate in the media about you know how to how to accomplish peace and all of these things that that could be almost doesn't exist in the united states. but i think it's an even harder to have that today this weekend as we're heading right into the apec conference i mean this is the belly of the beast in terms of political power from the jewish community in the weeks to have this conversation in the american political arena or the american media this is the week when everybody's going to be cautious how the president puts his case before the apec crowd on so. and how the crowd received them is going to be very interesting but there's a whole nother m

bibi netanyahu is israel's version of dick cheney.e is attempting to control our electoral process here in the united states. he wants president obama out of office, because there is a conservative bent in israel equivalent to the rupert murdoch bent here. caller: why did president obama. this time to address? it seems that israel is in a relatively peaceful time in their existence. why now with everything going on in the rest of the middle east? host: before we get a response, what do you speculate? caller: i have no idea. it looks like it was piling on the things that he has on his plate as point. host: part of why you're here. guest: there are a couple of reasons. the administration has been struggling on dealing with the arab spring, the wave of revolutions sweeping the arab world. there was a lot pressure to articulate a policy and vision that wraps up their myriad approaches two countries into one coherent thought process. it is something they have been wanting to do for a long time. the israeli -- the palestinian part is intere