04/03/2014 09:33
Obama: Netanyahu must make 'tough decisions'
US President Barack Obama has warned that Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu must make "tough decisions" to advance peace talks with the Palestinians, the BBC reported.
At the White House, Mr Netanyahu replied Israelis expected him to "stand strong" and that the Palestinians had not done their part to ease tensions.
The White House has said it hopes to see a peace deal in place by 29 April.
But there has been little sign of progress since July, when direct talks resumed after a three-year hiatus.
The two leaders spoke publicly on Monday ahead of a bilateral meeting at the White House.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will visit Mr Obama later this month.
"It is still possible to create two states, a Jewish state of Israel and a state of Palestine, with people living side-by-side in peace and security," Mr Obama said on Monday. "But it's difficult. It requires compromise on all sides."
The US president said the April deadline for the completion of the talks was drawing near, and "some tough decisions are going to have to be made."
"The prime minister will make those decisions based on his absolute commitment to Israel's security and his recognition that ultimately Israel's security will be enhanced by peace with his neighbours."
Sitting beside the US president, Mr Netanyahu pointed to Israel's release of Palestinian prisoners, its withdrawal from Gaza, and other steps it had taken to ease tensions.
"Israel has been doing its part, and I regret to say that the Palestinians haven't," he said.
He demanded the Palestinians recognise Israel as a Jewish state.
And he said, "The best way to guarantee peace is to be strong, and that's what the people of Israel expect me to do: to stand strong against criticism, against pressure."
The meeting between the two leaders came soon after Israel released statistics showing a large increase in the pace of new settlement construction in the West Bank in 2013 over the year before.