The latest attempt by the US president to salvage the Middle East peace talks appears to have come to nothing after his meeting with Israel’s prime minister ended with only a brief statement from the White House.
Binyamin Netanyahu left the White House on Monday after spending an hour and forty minutes inside with Barack Obama, without making the customary public appearance with his host.
A brief White House statement said that the two leaders discussed a number of bilateral issues, including Iran and “how to move forward on Middle East peace”.
Before the meeting, Netanyahu said he was ready to engage in peace negotiations, but prospects of renewed talks appear dimmer than ever following Israel’s refusal to halt settlement activity in the occupied territories, a pre-condition set by the Palestinians for the resumption of the talks.
Netanyahu’s meeting with Obama was announced late on Sunday only after he had arrived in Washington, forcing US and Israeli officials to deny that the last-minute invitation reflects the US president’s frustration with the hawkish Israeli prime minister.
More on AlJazeera.
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