Netanyahu calls Abbas ‘my partner in peace’

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday called Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas “my partner in peace” and said he was seeking a peace to end the Middle East conflict “once and for all.”

But the Israeli leader warned, in excerpts of a statement to be made later at the White House, that “peace must also be defended against its enemies.”

“Our goal is to forge a secure and durable peace between Israel and the Palestinians. We do not seek a brief interlude between two wars. We do not seek a temporary respite between outbursts of terror,” Mr Netanyahu was to say, according to the excerpts released by Israeli officials to journalists.

“We seek a peace that will end the conflict between us once and for all. We seek a peace that will last for generations. This is the peace my people want, this is the peace we all deserve.”

The Israeli leader met early yesterday with US President Barack Obama as Washington makes a bold bid to resume direct Israeli-Palestinian talks for the first time in 20 months.

Mr Netanyahu, Mr Abbas as well as Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak were taking part in a White House dinner hosted by Mr Obama, who was also meeting the regional power brokers for one-to-one sessions.

The Israeli Prime Minister also paid tribute to Mr Abbas.

“Every peace begins with leaders. President Abbas, you are my partner in peace. It is up to us to live next to one another and with one another,” Mr Netanyahu stated.

The White House said the day of intense presidential engagement was meant to build trust ahead of direct US-engineered Israel-Palestinian talks due to be hosted by Clinton on Thursday.

It insists that a “window of opportunity” has opened up to forge a two-state solution in the Middle East, at a time when Iran’s growing influence is threatening to reset the regional political map.

The issues on the table at the US-mediated talks – the status of Jerusalem, security, the borders of a Palestinian state and the right of return for Palestinian refugees have confounded all previous mediation attempts.

Later yesterday US President Barack Obama said his Middle East peace initiative was making “progress”, after wrapping up an hour-and-a-half of talks with Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas.

Mr Obama was asked how his efforts were going, after the Abbas meeting, part of a day of intense diplomacy with Middle East leaders on the eve of the first direct Israeli-Palestinian talks for 20 months.