Netanyahu: ‘We Haven’t Given up Our Hope for Peace’

U.S. President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met privately Monday morning at the White House.

 

In remarks to the press before their meeting, Netanyahu pledged that Israel would never give up on the hope that Palestinians would some day seek peace with the Jewish state. Israel has a strong “willingness to make peace with any of its neighbors” who seek it, Netanyahu said.

 

“I want to make it clear. We haven’t given up our hope for peace. We remain committed to the two-state solution,” said the Israeli leader. “two states for two peoples, a demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes a Jewish state.”

 

The President said he and Netanyahu will talk about defense aid to Israel.

 

“This is going to be an opportunity for the prime minister and myself to engage in a wide-ranging discussion on some of the most pressing security issues that both our countries face,” President Obama said. “It’s no secret that the security environment in the Middle East has deteriorated in many areas, and as I’ve said repeatedly, the security of Israel is one of my top foreign policy priorities. And that’s expressed itself not only in words, but in deeds,” he asserted.

 

Read More: Netanyahu: ‘We Haven’t Given up Our Hope for Peace’.