Obama & Catholic press: Question 8

How do you plan to restart Israeli-Palestinian negotiations?

Obama repeated his stance that Israeli settlements must stop, and acknowledged that Prime Minister Netanyahu is "under his own set of political restraints."

But he also said the Palestinians have an obligation to "clamp down" on violence.

He said the surrounding Arab states also had a role, by recognizing Israel's legitimacy and its right to security.

"And this is a topic that I'm looking forward to speaking with the Holy Father about, because I think that our position is going to overlap greatly with the position of the government of the Holy See. And I think we can be effective partners in trying to move the parties in a closer direction," he said.