NewPolicy.org calls on President Obama to support a unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem if  Prime Minister Netanyahu does not agree to a settlement freeze. The Palestinian leadership has been organizing world support behind its unilateral declaration of Palestinian statehood which it hopes to present to the United Nations as Palestinians grow more disillusioned with the peace process and Israel's settlement expansion in the Palestinian territories.

While NewPolicy.org supports a negotiated settlement to the Arab-Israeli conflict, recognition of a unilaterally-declared Palestinian state might pressure the Israeli government to freeze settlements and negotiate in earnest.

NewPolicy.org applauds President Obama for restating that building Israeli settlements can only be harmful to peace between Israel and Palestinians. In his interview with Fox News on Wednesday, President Obama made it very clear that any additional settlement building in East Jerusalem is "dangerous" to Israel's security due to the frustration, anger, and distrust that continued settlement building evokes in Palestinians.