Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said overnight Sunday he is ready to sit down with the Palestinians for peace talks.
“Israel is ready for negotiations, I am ready for negotiations and believe that many Arab states hope we will enter such negotiations with the Palestinians,” Netanyahu said in a pre-recorded video aired at the virtual summit organized by the "Christians United for Israel" group.
The prime minister commended U.S. President Donald Trump for his tough stance on Iran and lauded the Trump administration's Mideast peace proposal.
“The U.S. president’s vision finally brings an end to the illusion of the two-state solution and calls for a realistic two-state solution,” Netanyahu told the conference goers.
“Applying Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria [West Bank territories] in any future peace agreement will not reduce chances for peace but will advance the peace,” he added.
He then urged the Palestinians “not to waste another opportunity, not to waste another decade in the attempt to eradicate Israel. They should support Trump’s place for peace.”
The official debate on the annexation is set to begin in the Knesset on July 1.