President Obama meeting with Israeli Prime Minister tonight at the White House

November 9, 7:32 PMWorld News ExaminerRebecca Kelley

Washington – President Barack Obama will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House this evening, Monday, Nov. 9.

Besides trying to settle the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict, U.S. officials say the president is interested in discussing what Netanyahu envisioned when he offered to hold talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

The controversy between Palestine and Israel stems from Israel’s resistance to halt Israeli Jewish settlements at the West Banks in Palestine. However Netanyahu did say his government would limit the construction of new settlements.

Netanyahu said he wants to resume Israeli’s negotiations with Abbas. He made the statement before the meeting scheduled with President Obama to discuss the stalled Middle East peace process.

Netanyahu told a conference of American Jewish leaders today that no Israeli government has been so willing to restrain settlement activity. “Let us seize the moment to reach a historic agreement,” Netanyahu said. “Let us begin talks immediately.”

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton fueled Palestinian anger last week when she described Netanyahu's decision to restrict -- but not halt – West Bank settlements as "unprecedented."

Clinton later clarified that the United States "does not accept the legitimacy" of building Israeli housing on occupied Palestinian land and was unable to persuade Abbas to resume talks with Israel.

Abbas then announced he would not seek re-election because of the impasse in peace negotiations. He accused the U.S. of backtracking by refusing to persuade Israel to freeze Jewish settlement construction on the West Bank.