WarSclerotic

Obama parallels struggle of Israelis and African-Americans: ‘Our very existence is a testament that all things are possible’ | The Times of Israel.

A state banquet in the president’s honor is drawing to a close. Earlier, in the major speech of his visit, he urged students in Jerusalem to build trust, push their leaders to make peace. In Ramallah, he called for an independent, sovereign Palestine

President Barack Obama is nearing the end of the second day of his visit to Israel. The day began with rocket fire from Gaza on southern Israel. Obama visited the Israel Museum — seeing the Dead Sea Scrolls and meeting the brains behind several trailblazing Israeli innovations. Later, he went to Ramallah, where he called for an end to preconditions and new talks toward an independent, sovereign Palestinian state. That’s all covered in our previous liveblog here. (And our liveblogs from yesterday are here.)

In late afternoon, Obama delivered his main address to young Israelis in Jerusalem — a rapturously received call for peace. Now he’s concluding a state dinner at the President’s Residence.

Obama ends Day 2

Taking us back to where today began: In response to the rocket fire from Gaza this morning, in which a Kassam landed in the yard of a home in Sderot, Israel has announced that it is cutting back the fishing zone allowed for Gaza fishermen — from 6 miles off the Gaza coast to 3 miles, which is what it was before Operation Pillar of Defense in November. The move was approved by Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon.

The IDF is not going to allow a resumption of the “drip, drip” or rocket attacks, security sources say. The sources believe that the rocket fire was timed to coincide with Obama’s visit.

The president is wrapping up his second day here, concluding the state dinner to head back to the King David Hotel. He’ll set out again tomorrow morning, with a visit to Mount Herzl, and the tombs of Yitzhak Rabin and Theodor Herzl, a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum, another meeting with Netanyahu, and a trip to Bethlehem.

We’ll be with him all the way. Until then, The Times of Israel liveblog is calling it a night. Thanks for reading. See you tomorrow.

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