Netanyahu lectures Obama in Oval Office

Israel’s chief peace negotiator said Thursday it’s “good news” that the Arab peace initiative is negotiable and that Arab nations are supporting peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians at a difficult time in the region. Justice Minister Tzipi Livni told reporters after meeting Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Thursday afternoon that it’s in the interest of Israel, the Palestinians and the international community to resume peace talks. “We need to find a way to do so, and we’re working on it,” she said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has tried to play down a row with President Barack Obama, saying the rift between the leaders had been exaggerated."The disagreement has been blown way out of proportion," Netanyahu was quoted as saying by his spokesman, a day after the Israeli leader slammed Obama's vision for Middle East peace as "based on illusions.""It is true we have some differences of opinions, but they are differences among friends," Netanyahu said.

Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday was to outline his views on reviving the peace process before the US Congress after rejecting White House demands for a settlement based on 1967 borders.In a speech before a powerful Israel lobbying group late Monday in Washington, the prime minister again vowed not to withdraw to the "indefensible" frontiers and blamed the Palestinians for the failure to resolve the decades-old conflict.

Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday was to outline his views on reviving the peace process before the US Congress after rejecting White House demands for a settlement based on 1967 borders.In a speech before a powerful Israel lobbying group late Monday in Washington, the prime minister again vowed not to withdraw to the "indefensible" frontiers and blamed the Palestinians for the failure to resolve the decades-old conflict.

JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will seek alternate sleeping arrangements when traveling after receiving a sky-high bill for installing a customized bed on a recent flight to London, officials close to the Israeli leader said. Netanyahu found himself facing a public uproar on Sunday after Channel 10 TV reported over the weekend that he had spent $127,000 in public funds on a special sleeping cabin for the five-hour flight to attend Margaret Thatcher’s funeral last month.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu says his nation must prepare for the threat of a chemical attack from Syria, amid concern at enemy efforts to test a post-election coalition Israel, and, as Bloomberg reports, has deployed its new Iron Dome anti-missile system near the border with its northern neighbor.

US President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Tuesday in talks meant to put an unusual public rift to rest and invigorate peace talks with the Palestinians.The White House is going out of its way to differentiate this visit from the cool reception given Netanyahu in March, when he was denied a public appearance with the US leader amid a tense showdown over Israeli settlement building.