Netanyahu tells Abbas: I came to Washington to reach historic compromise with Palestinians

WASHINGTON - Addressing PA President Mahmoud Abbas at a White House dinner last night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had come to the Washington peace summit that began yesterday "to figure out a historic compromise" with the Palestinians.

U.S. President Barack Obama hosted the dinner for the Israeli and Palestinian leaders, as well as Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Jordan's King Abdullah II and Quartet envoy Tony Blair.

	PM Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Barack Obama in the Oval Office September 1, 2010.
	Photo by: Reuters

The summit began in the shadow of Tuesday's terror attack near Hebron, which left four Israelis dead. Netanyahu mentioned the attack, using it to highlight the importance of Israel's security needs, in his speech at the dinner and in meetings yesterday with Obama, Mubarak and King Abdullah.

"Peace does not sit well with the idea that you drive down a road and a firing squad guns you down," Netanyahu was quoted as having told Obama during their two-hour meeting.

Netanyahu will be meeting with Abbas this morning at the White House.

Obama condemned the "senseless slaughter" and said it would not stop the peace talks.

U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said that the peace process will require the Israeli and Palestinian leaders to display their commitment, as they are doing now.

At Netanyahu's meeting with Obama, the prime minister reiterated that he was serious about making peace.

"If it was only up to me and you there would be an agreement," Netanyahu was quoted as saying. "I said an agreement within a year is possible if there is political willingness and readiness on the other side. We have that willingness."

Netanyahu told Obama he wanted the talks to produce a "framework of principles" between himself and Abbas that would later be expanded to a more detailed agreement. He said dealing with the construction freeze in the West Bank was tantamount to "dealing with a marginal issue" that would delay reaching a comprehensive agreement.

Netanyahu's speech at the dinner was relatively conciliatory and included several direct addresses to Abbas.

"Every peace begins with leaders," Netanyahu said. "President Abbas, you are my partner in peace. It is up to us to overcome the agonizing conflict between our peoples and to forge a new beginning."

The prime minister spoke of the need for a "historic compromise."

"The Jewish people is no stranger in our homeland, the land of our forefathers," he said. "But we recognize that another people share this land with us. And I came here today to find a historic compromise that will enable both peoples to live in peace, security and dignity."

Netanyahu said peace can help maintain the economic boom that has spread across the West Bank in recent years.

"Real peace can turn this boom into a tidal wave of progress and hope," he said at the dinner, addressing Abbas directly. "If we work together, we can take advantage of the great benefits afforded by our unique place under the sun. Our geography, history, culture, climate and the talents of our peoples can create unprecedented opportunities in tourism, trade, industry, energy, water and so much more."

Netanyahu also mentioned terror attacks like Tuesday's shooting that are carried out by those who wish to derail the process.

Peace "must also be defended against its enemies," Netanyahu said. "We want the skyline of the West Bank to be dominated by apartment towers, not missiles. We want the roads of the West Bank to flow with commerce, not terrorists. We left Lebanon, we got terror. We left Gaza, we got terror. We want to ensure that territory we concede will not be turned into a third Iranian sponsored terror enclave aimed at the heart of Israel."

"President Abbas, we cannot erase the past," Netanyahu said. "But it is within our power to change the future. Thousands of years ago, on the very hills where Israelis and Palestinians live today, the Jewish prophet Isaiah and the other prophets of my people envisioned a lasting peace for all mankind."

"Let today be a first step, however small, in our joint effort to realize that vision," he said.