ROOM FOR MANOEUVRING TOWARDS UNDERSTANDINGS

An excellent interview on our ABC by Mark Colvin with Ehud Ya'ari, senior commentator for Israel's Channel 2 Television about the Obama speech - Obama's Cairo speech under scrutiny.

MARK COLVIN: But do you think it's only symbolic? Because we know from his reading for instance, he said in the past that one of the books that really influenced him was "The Yellow Wind" by David Grossman - a book which is all about the experience of Palestinians under Israeli rule.

EHUD YA'ARI: Yes and he spoke about that and he has no problem with Israelis about it. Israelis would love to get rid of the occupation.

MARK COLVIN: You say that but the settlers would not.

EHUD YA'ARI: Well the settlers would not but the settlers are not a majority in Israel. You have a solid consensus in Israel of 70, 80 per cent for a two-state solution, including the removal of almost all the settlements. That's a given, it's repeated in all the polls...