Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his demand that the Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state, saying that only then they will be ready to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Army Radio reported Friday.
Speaking at a meeting of worldwide Jewish leaders in Jerusalem on Friday, Netanyahu said that peace must be based on a mutual agreement.
Netanyahu said that only when Israel''s partners in peace agree to recognize the legitimacy of the Jewish state, they would be ready to end the conflict with Israel. Netanyahu emphasized to the Jewish leaders the importance of Israel''s security, saying that in order to ensure the future of the Jewish nation, the world must ensure the security of the State of Israel.
He said that the only kind of peace that lasts is the kind that could be protected, so for this reason there must be appropriate security arrangements on the ground.
He also said that security costs money, and Israel''s security needs are growing, and will continue to grow.
Netanyahu also called on the Jewish people to unite against the growing threat of radical Islam and Iran in particular. He said that the international community must clarify to the world that it will not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons.
In regards to Turkey, he said that he hopes Jerusalem and Ankara would be able to strengthen and better their ties.
On Thursday, President Shimon Peres spoke at the same conference and said that Israel could aid the United States in its attempts to thwart Iran''s nuclear program by pushing forward with peace talks with the Palestinian Authority, adding that he believed the Islamic Republic posed the greatest threat to both Israel and the United States.