President Barack Obama, in a major speech on Thursday in Cairo, Egypt, called for a new beginning and talked about the tensions between the United States and Muslims, saying “the sweeping change brought by modernity and globalization led many Muslims to view the West as hostile to the traditions of Islam.”
The president made a point of saying, “America is not — and never will be — at war with Islam. We will, however, relentlessly confront violent extremists who pose a grave threat to our security.”
Obama stressed that the U.S. does not want to keep troops in Afghanistan. He said, “We seek no military bases there. It is agonizing for America to lose our young men and women. It is costly and politically difficult to continue this conflict. We would gladly bring every single one of our troops home if we could be confident that there were not violent extremists in Afghanistan and now Pakistan.”
Speaking about a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Obama said, “If we see this conflict only from one side or the other, then we will be blind to the truth. The only resolution is for the aspirations of both sides to be met through two states, where Israelis and Palestinians each live in peace and security.”
See more Cairo photos and Obama speech video below.