Netanyahu: Israel willing to be 'generous' in talks
Shortly before meeting with US president, prime minister says ready to make concessions but won’t compromise on security arrangements. Senior entourage members say Netanyahu will tell Obama, 'We mean business'
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday ahead of a meeting with US President Barack Obama that Israel was "willing to go a long way and to be very generous with restraining construction (in settlements) as a gesture for the renewal of negotiations".
In debates Netanyahu held with Defense Minister Ehud Barak and his associates before the meeting in Washington he said that despite his desire to be generous to promote talks, Israel would not compromise its security.
"Until today defense guidelines on the ground in Gaza and Lebanon have been ineffective, and arms have been smuggled in. In any future accord, defense guidelines need to be effective," he added.
Regarding the renewal of the peace process with the Palestinians Netanyahu said, "For the past 16 years there has never been a demand to freeze construction in settlements as a precondition for negotiations, and there has never been a willingness on the part of Israel to restrain construction before entering into negotiations. That's why we are convinced that Israel is doing all it can to promote peace while maintaining security."
Before Obama, Netanyahu meets with US senators (Photo: Reuters)
Officials close to the prime minister said prior to the meeting with Obama that he would stress that Israel was very serious about restarting the peace process.
A senior source in Netanyahu's entourage said ahead of the meeting with Obama, "We don't understand what other gestures must be made in order to launch (peace) negotiations. The prime minister will tell the American president, 'We mean business.'"
The Prime Minister's Office also tried to diffuse rumors that the late arrival of Netanyahu's invitation from the White House meant Israel's relations with the US were dwindling. Netanyahu had not coordinated his visit to the US with Obama beforehand.
Netanyahu was scheduled to meet the US president shortly after concluding his address to the 2009 General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America, during which he spoke of the renewal of negotiations with the Palestinians.
"I believe there is no time to waste; we need to move toward peace with a sense of urgency and with a sense of purpose," he called out to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
"I want to make this clear: My goal is not to have endless negotiations. My goal is not negotiations for the sake of negotiations. My goal is to achieve a permanent peace treaty between Israel and the Palestinians," he added.
