Israeli premier urges resumption of peace talks with Palestinians
TEL AVIV, November 10 (RIA Novosti) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has urged the resumption of peace talks with the Palestinians, but made no new proposals.
"I want to make this clear: My goal is not to have endless negotiations. My goal is not negotiations for the sake of negotiations. My goal is to achieve a permanent peace treaty between Israel and the Palestinians," Netanyahu told a conference of American Jewish leaders on Monday.
Netanyahu reiterated that peace negotiations should begin with no preconditions.
The prime minister said his government is willing to limit Jewish settlement activity in the West Bank.
"No Israeli government has been so willing to restrain settlement activity," Netanyahu said. "I say today to [Palestinian leader Mahmoud] Abbas ... let us seize the moment to reach a historic agreement. Let us begin talks immediately."
Jewish settlement construction in the West Bank is a major obstacle to reviving peace talks with the Palestinians. Abbas recently said he would not run in Palestinian presidential elections in January, citing a lack of progress in peace talks and criticizing Washington for failing to press Israel on the settlements.
Netanyahu also met with U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday evening. The White House said the two leaders discussed "how to move forward on Middle East peace" and also spoke about Iran and security issues.
Netanyahu Heads for Paris After Obama Meeting on Mideast Peace
Nov. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flies to Paris today in a bid to round up international support as Middle East peace efforts flounder and his country stands accused of war crimes in Gaza.
Netanyahu met with President Barack Obama at the White House late yesterday after telling a gathering of North American Jewish organizations that he wants to resume peace talks immediately with the Palestinian Authority.
The Obama administration, in a statement, said the president reaffirmed the “strong commitment” of the U.S. to Israel’s security and that the two leaders discussed Iran and “how to move forward on Middle East peace.”
Netanyahu left the White House without making any public remarks. He is scheduled to talk to reporters early today about the Obama meeting before leaving for France, where he is scheduled to meet with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Hours before his talks with Obama, Netanyahu said in his speech to the Jewish Federations of North America, that he hopes to reach a permanent peace treaty to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“I say to Mahmoud Abbas, leader of the Palestinian Authority: Let us seize the moment to reach an historic agreement, let us begin talks immediately,” Netanyahu said.
The prime minister reiterated his call, made in June, for the establishment of a Palestinian state so long as it is demilitarized.
Settlements Issue
Netanyahu’s visit to Washington follows a trip by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Israel during which she tried to revive a peace process intended to lead to Palestinian statehood. Instead, she got mired in disputes over Israeli settlements.
In Jerusalem, Clinton publicly praised Netanyahu’s proposal to limit settlement expansion to the completion of about 2,500 new homes, calling the offer “unprecedented.”
Palestinians criticized Clinton’s remarks, recalling that Obama had earlier demanded a total freeze on settlement construction as a precursor for resuming peace talks. Abbas said on Nov. 5 that he no longer wants to run for re-election in January and aides expressed concern the Israeli-Palestinian conflict may erupt again in violence.
Security Concerns
Netanyahu, 60, said he would work for a durable peace with the Palestinians, and said Israel is willing to make concessions as long as they don’t compromise its security.
“With the support of the United States, peace can become a reality,” Netanyahu said.
Turning to Iran’s nuclear program, Netanyahu said, “We must stand together to stop Iran from realizing its nuclear ambitions.”
At the speech, police ejected a protester who stood up and shouted: “Shame on you! Peace for Israel and Gaza!” Netanyahu answered by quipping that he received a better reception at the United Nations, where he spoke in September.
The General Assembly last week overwhelmingly approved the so-called Goldstone report, which judged that Israel and the Palestinian Islamic group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, committed possible war crimes during a three-week conflict that ended early this year.
Netanyahu thanked the U.S. for opposing the “twisted” report that he said deprives Israel “of our right to defend ourselves.”
Before Obama’s session with Netanyahu, the president and members of his senior staff held a private reception at the White House with a contingent of members of the Jewish organizations.
