Netanyahu Calls On Abbas To ‘End This Conflict Once And For All’

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu tonight called for the world to reduce its dependence on oil, at the opening of President Shimon Peres’s ‘Facing Tomorrow’ conference in Yerushalayim. Speaking after Peres officially opened the annual conference, the prime minister called on Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to “lead [his] people to peace,” so that Israel and the Palestinians can “end this conflict once and for all.””The time has come for our two nations to live side by side, in peace and security,” Netanyahu added.

Switching to English, the told the audience, “It’s possible to change the world,” a possible echo of US President Obama’s campaign slogan, “Yes we can.”

In a message ahead of the conference, Obama praised Peres as an “excellent statesman,” who he said had made great contributions to ties between Israel and the US.

Peres had invited Obama to attend his annual conference, but the president could not go, so he asked US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice to represent the administration, according to a US official.

Rice was set to meet with both Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas during her three-day visit.

Also attending the conference were EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Quartet envoy Tony Blair.

The Goldstone Report, which accuses Israel of war crimes and possible crimes against humanity during Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip, was expected to be high on the agenda during talks that Netanyahu will be holding in the coming days with leaders attending the conference.

 {JPost/Yair Alpert-Matzav.com Israel}