Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently in Washington to discuss the issues of the day with President Obama.
At a White House meeting, President Obama pressured Netanyahu to make “tough decisions” regarding the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Netanyahu responded that, “Israel has been doing its part and, I regret to say, the Palestinians have not.”
Secretary of State John Kerry has been spearheading the talks thus far, making dozens of trips to the region over the past year. Kerry is attempting to get both sides to agree to a framework by the end of April.
Obama is still hopefully that a two-state solution can be reached, but acknowledged the challenges ahead.
“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. But it’s difficult. It requires compromise on all sides,” Obama said. Adding, “some tough decisions are going to have to be made.”
Netanyahu was recalcitrant, insisting it was the Palestinians who need to act. He then diverted the discussion to Iran, saying Israel’s main priority was preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons capabilities.
Reports recently revelead that Israel's settlement building in the West Bank doubled in 2013.
