Israeli president announces meeting with President Obama next week _ before Netanyahu trip

September 24th, 2009 Israel hails US call for talks without conditionsJERUSALEM — Israel's prime minister welcomed Thursday President Barack Obama's call for the resumption of Mideast peace talks without preconditions despite Palestinian demands for a halt to new Jewish settlements in the West Bank before any new negotiations begin. In the past, Obama had said all Israeli building must stop on lands the Palestinians claim for a future state.

September 20th, 2009 Obama, Netanyahu, Abbas to meet amid tensionsWASHINGTON — At a time when wide differences are hindering Mideast peace talks, President Barack Obama will host a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The three men will meet Tuesday in New York on the sidelines of the U.N.

September 19th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama is to host a trilateral meeting Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the White House announced. The trilateral meeting will be preceded by bilateral meetings between Obama and the two leaders, White House spokesperson Robert Gibbs said Saturday, to lay the groundwork for the relaunch of negotiations.

September 17th, 2009 JERUSALEM - Israel will not completely freeze all construction in its West Bank settlements, as the United States and the Palestinians have demanded, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday. "A freeze for me means zero construction.

September 16th, 2009 US envoy to press Israel yet again on settlementsJERUSALEM — Washington's special envoy to the Mideast on Wednesday wrapped up his second meeting this week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu without reaching an agreement on curtailing Israeli settlement construction. U.S. official George Mitchell will sit down with Netanyahu for a third time on Friday, Netanyahu's office said in a statement.

September 2nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - US officials are stepping up pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cut a deal on curtailing Israeli settlements, and they're holding out a prize that both Netanyahu and President Barack Obama badly want: strong ties between both leaders. Both sides said the US and Israel are near an agreement to halt expansion of Israeli settlements on disputed territory.

August 26th, 2009 Mitchell, Netanyahu say progress made at talksWASHINGTON — The Obama administration's Mideast peace envoy and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu say they have "made good progress" at talks aimed at restarting negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. A joint statement from former Sen.

June 25th, 2009 Netanyahu, French officials discuss peace effortsPARIS — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met France's prime minister and foreign minister Thursday, wrapping up a trip marked by differences with Washington and Paris over Jewish settlements. Netanyahu has been pressing his bid for a demilitarized Palestinian state in his meetings in Italy and Paris, and says the idea is gaining international ground.

June 24th, 2009 Israel: settlement issue prompted US meeting delayPARIS — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has arrived in Paris for talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, as differences with the United States over settlements emerged as a key issue. An Israeli official says his government postponed a meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Washington's top Mideast envoy because it wanted more time to iron out differences over settlements.

June 23rd, 2009 Israeli prime minister postpones Mitchell meetingROME — A meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Barack Obama's special Middle East peace envoy, former Sen. George Mitchell, has been postponed.

June 21st, 2009 Netanyahu declines to second-guess Obama on IranWASHINGTON — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he isn't going to second-guess President Barack Obama's approach on Iran after the Tehran government's political crackdown. Obama has been criticized by Republicans and others for not saying more in defense of Iranians protesting the outcome of the presidential election.

June 2nd, 2009 Obama official meets Israeli defense ministerWASHINGTON — The White House's national security adviser met with Israel's defense minister Tuesday, just hours before President Barack Obama leaves on a trip to the Middle East to improve relations with Muslims. National Security Adviser Gen.

May 18th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama said during his first meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday that Tel Aviv must end its settlement activities in the West Bank in order to progress in the peace process with Palestinians. 'Settlements have to be stopped in order for us to move forward,' Obama said, placing him at odds with the conservative prime minister, whose government appears poised to expand a key settlement in the West Bank.

February 21st, 2009 JERUSALEM - Israel's President Shimon Peres tasked Benjamin Netanyahu Friday with forming a new government, ending speculation which had persisted since Israel's inconclusive general election last week. Although Netanyahu's hardline Likud Party had won only 27 of the 120 Knesset seats (Israeli parliament) at stake in the election, one fewer than won by the centrist Kadima party of Tzipi Livni, he is seen as having the best chances of forming a governing coalition.

February 21st, 2009 JERUSALEM - Israel's President Shimon Peres is to ask the head of the country's right-wing Likud party, Benjamin Netanyahu, to form a government, an official said Friday. Netanyahu has earlier said he was ready to form a coalition with the centrist Kadima party of his main rival Tzipi Livni.