JERUSALEM (JTA ) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be ready to endorse a Palestinian state during meetings with President Obama, his defense minister said.
"I believe Netanyahu is ready for a process whose end is two states for two peoples," Ehud Barak, head of the Labor Party, told Israel’s Channel 2 on Saturday night. "Even Netanyahu understands that the ultimate end of the process is two peoples living side by side in peace and security."
Barak said he thought a regional peace accord would take three years to agree upon and another five years to implement.
Meanwhile, an unnamed Netanyahu aide told the Israeli daily Ha’aretz that the prime minister is unlikely to voice support for the establishment of a Palestinian state during his meeting with Obama.
He will, according to the aide, propose the drafting of a new "road map" for the Palestinian peace process and to restart Palestinian peace talks with the participation of moderate Arab states, Ha’aretz reported.
Netanyahu arrived Sunday in the United States and huddled with advisers in advance of his meeting Monday with Obama.
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