Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday to discuss the resumption of direct peace talks with Palestinians.
The two leaders cancelled their planned meeting in Canada on May 31 over the international crisis sparked by the Israeli attack on a Gaza-bound humanitarian aid convoy. They agreed to meet at "at the first opportunity," and the meeting was rescheduled for July 6.
"Whoever desires peace will hold direct peace talks. I hope that this will be one of the results of my trip to Washington," Netanyahu told a meeting of his Cabinet on Sunday.
Israeli-Palestinian direct peace talks came to a halt in December 2008, when Israel launched an attack on the Gaza Strip in a bid to put an end to the firing of homemade rockets at southern Israel by Palestinian militants based in the enclave. The conflict left 1,300 Palestinians and 13 Israelis dead.
Palestinians have so far cited ongoing Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, both occupied by Israel since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, as a main obstacle to the peace process.
Currently Israelis and Palestinians maintain contacts through the U.S.-mediated "proximity" talks.
"Ramallah is 10 minutes away from Jerusalem, almost within arm's reach. It's time for Abu Mazen [Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas] to agree to meet with me," Netanyahu added.
A senior source in Jerusalem told Haaretz that Netanyahu hoped the meeting with the U.S. president would enable him "to regain Obama's trust after months of tension regarding West Bank settlement construction." The Israeli leader also plans to present Obama with proposals aimed at coordinating progress in the Middle East peace process
Tuesday's meeting will be the fifth between Obama and Netanyahu since the Israeli premier took office last spring.
TEL-AVIV, July 6 (RIA Novosti)
