WASHINGTON — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told President Obama at a White House meeting Monday that he wanted to resume peace negotiations with the Palestinians, but he stopped short of embracing the U.S. view of a fully sovereign Palestinian state.
The Israeli leader said he wanted Palestinians to govern themselves, but without "a handful of powers that could endanger the state of Israel."
Netanyahu has long insisted that any Palestinian state forgo the common trappings of statehood, including its own military, control over its borders and authority over electronic communications.
The first White House meeting between Obama and Netanyahu was much anticipated, in part because of expectations of possible friction between the conservative Israeli leader and the new U.S. president, who has said that bringing about a peace deal will be one of his top priorities.
Addressing reporters after their talks, the two leaders exchanged praise and described shared goals. But it was clear after the four-hour meeting that they remained far apart on key issues.
For instance, Obama emphasized that Israel must halt growth of Jewish settlements in the West Bank in order to reach a peace accord. But Netanyahu said nothing on the subject in an exchange with reporters in the Oval Office.
Speaking later with Israeli journalists, Netanyahu indicated that Israeli action on settlements would depend on Palestinian cooperation in other areas, the Ynet news organization in Israel reported.
Obama, whom Israel has been pressing to set a deadline for his outreach initiative to Iran, said for the first time that the administration would try to decide by the end of the year whether to continue the effort. By then, he said, "we should have some sense of whether these discussions are starting to yield serious benefits."
Still, Obama insisted that is only a general timetable. "That doesn't mean every issue would be resolved at that point," he said. "I don't want to set an artificial deadline."
The Israeli and U.S. governments allege Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons; Tehran insists its nuclear effort is a civilian energy program.
After the meeting Netanyahu appeared to soften his insistence that the issue of Iran's nuclear program take precedence over talks with the Palestinians. He said the two matters should be tackled at the same time, "in parallel."
