The fact that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu felt it necessary to make a speech at all about a Palestinian state shows that American pressure works.
US President Barack Obama has taken every opportunity he can to restate his view that the only chance of Middle Eastern peace lies with the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.
Had Mr Netanyahu been prepared to concede the principle of some form of statehood for Palestinians after the Israeli elections in February he might have emerged with a centre-right coalition rather than one dominated by the hard right.
But he did not feel he had to until the Americans indicated he should.
The Israeli prime minister's body language suggested that he was doing it under diplomatic duress.
One Israeli journalist observed that he looked like someone vomiting up the words "Palestinian state".
That was because the idea, however hedged around with conditions, is anathema to his ideology.
To see the rest of the article: BBC News
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