In his first meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. President Barack Obama called publicly for Netanyahu to stop building new settlements in the West Bank, as well as put an end to the difficult humanitarian situation in Gaza. Netanyahu, on his part, put the emphasis on the danger posed by Iran’s nuclear program, preferring to avoid any compromise in meeting the demands of Obama towards the peace process.

Obama described the meeting as ‘extremely productive.’ Netanyahu used the descriptive word ‘friendly,’ instead.

In addition to stressing that both sides in the Arab-Israeli conflict must meet the conditions imposed by the roadmap, which includes the freezing of settlement construction in the West Bank, Obama repeatedly said that the solution to the conflict is through the co-existence of two independent states.

In addition, he said that the blockade of Gaza is causing suffering among the civilian population, adding that this blockade hinders the reopening of peace negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis.

Netanyahu, who maintains a much more radical position than that of his predecessor Ehud Olmert, has never publicly supported the creation of an independent Palestinian state as a solution to the conflict.

At the press conference of the two leaders, Netanyahu said that Israel ‘has no desire to govern the Palestinians,’ and wanted a solution to the conflict in which Palestinians and Israelis can live ‘next to each other.’ However, he did not offer the concept of the ‘two-state solution.’ The Likud leader reiterated that peace is possible only if they meet the security guarantees that Israel calls for.

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Via Reuters