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US and Israeli leaders hold talks | |
(about 6 hours later) | |
US President Barack Obama has met Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House as Washington struggles to revive Middle East peace talks. | US President Barack Obama has met Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House as Washington struggles to revive Middle East peace talks. |
The talks came amid heightened tension over Mr Netanyahu's refusal to freeze settlement building in the West Bank and Jerusalem. | |
The BBC's Kim Ghattas in Washington says the meeting was unusual. | |
There were no photos, no press calls, and none of the public warmth Israeli leaders usually get from US presidents. | |
It was only Mr Netanayahu's second visit to the White House since President Obama came to office nine months ago. | |
Our correspondent says the pair talked for almost two hours, but rather unusually very little has emerged about what was discussed beyond a bland statement issued by the White House. | |
This said that the president had reaffirmed the strong US commitment to Israel's security, and added that the two men had discussed Iran and how to move forward on Middle East peace. | |
Our correspondent says the alliance between the two countries is still undoubtedly solid, but the Obama administration is frustrated that its peace efforts in the Middle East are going nowhere, so the president wanted to make sure his meeting with Mr Netanyahu did not appear as support for the Israeli leader's stance. | |
'Seize the moment' | |
Ahead of the White House talks, Mr Netanyahu told a forum of US Jewish leaders in Washington that he was ready for an agreement. | |
"I say today to [Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud] Abbas... let us seize the moment to reach a historic agreement. Let us begin talks immediately." | |
He said his goal was a "permanent peace treaty between Israel and the Palestinians - and soon". | He said his goal was a "permanent peace treaty between Israel and the Palestinians - and soon". |
But he added that "no Israeli government has been so willing to restrain settlement activities as part of our efforts to relaunch peace talks." | |
Mr Obama's administration has made Israeli-Palestinian peace talks the cornerstone of its Middle East policy. | Mr Obama's administration has made Israeli-Palestinian peace talks the cornerstone of its Middle East policy. |
The Palestinians say a settlement freeze in the occupied West Bank is a precondition for a renewal of talks, and Washington has been backing their stance. | The Palestinians say a settlement freeze in the occupied West Bank is a precondition for a renewal of talks, and Washington has been backing their stance. |
But US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently angered Arab leaders when she praised Mr Netanyahu's offer of a limited easing of settlement building as "unprecedented". | |
Mr Abbas has announced he will not seek re-election because of the impasse in peace negotiations. | |