Obama, Netanyahu to Discuss Iran, Israeli-Palestinian Peace Prospects
By VOA News
18 May 2009
U.S. President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are meeting at the White House Monday for the first time since they took office earlier this year.
Israeli national security advisor Uzi Arad says Mr. Netanyahu will express a sense of urgency about what Israel sees as Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons. Israel considers Iran to be a threat to its existence. Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful.
President Obama says he wants a dialogue with Iran to give it a chance to accept international norms. Israeli officials say any negotiations on Iran should be limited in time to a few months, and be followed by tougher international sanctions on Iran if they fail.
Israeli national security advisor Arad says Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Obama may have "some differences in approach" regarding how Israel should seek peace with the Palestinians.
Mr. Obama says a two-state solution is central to his goal of a comprehensive Middle East peace. Mr. Netanyahu has said peace talks should focus on economic and security issues rather than Palestinian statehood, a concept he has not endorsed.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas wants Mr. Obama to pressure Israel to accept a two-state solution and stop construction in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Mr. Obama's Middle East envoy, George Mitchell, has said a two state solution should entail "a Palestinian state living in peace alongside the Jewish state of Israel."
Mr. Netanyahu has said Palestinian recognition of Israel's Jewish character is crucial for progress in future peace talks. Mr. Abbas has rejected that demand.
Palestinian leaders say Palestinian refugees who fled Israel during its war of independence in 1948 and their descendants should have a right of return - something Israel has rejected.
Mr. Netanyahu arrived in Washington early Sunday. He plans to meet Tuesday with members of the U.S. Congress.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
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