WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured US President Barack Obama yesterday that he remained committed to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as they sought to mend ties strained by acrimony over Middle East diplomacy and Iran.
Meeting Obama for the first time since the signing of the Iran nuclear deal, Netanyahu said he backed a vision of “two states for two peoples” but maintained that any Palestinian state must be demilitarized and recognize Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people, a condition Palestinians have rejected.
Patching up relations could help smooth the way for a new 10-year US military aid package, which Obama told Netanyahu he wanted to get a “head start” on negotiating. Israel, Washington’s chief Middle East ally, is seeking a record $5 billion a year, according to US congressional sources.
Obama and Netanyahu, who have a history of testy White House encounters, showed no outward sign of tension, looking cordial and businesslike as they held their first face-to-face talks in 13 months.
The meeting was clouded by an ongoing wave of Palestinian stabbing and shooting attacks that have Israelis on edge at a time when Obama has concluded that a peace deal is beyond reach during the final 14 months of his presidency.
Obama condemned the latest wave of Palestinian violence and backed Israel’s right to defend itself but said he wanted to hear Netanyahu’s ideas for lowering tensions and “how we can make sure that legitimate Palestinian aspirations are met.”
Netanyahu’s recommitment to the two-state solution, the bedrock of U.S. diplomacy on the conflict for decades, could satisfy the Obama administration’s desire that he clarify his position after he appeared to backtrack on his pledge during a hard-fought re-election campaign earlier this year.
“I want to make it clear that we have not given up our hope for peace,” Netanyahu told reporters allowed in at the start of talks with Obama.
