Netanyahu seeks to focus on Iran

Washington: President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched their first White House talks Monday, grappling with rare US-Israeli differences over Middle East peacemaking and how to deal with Iran.

Obama planned to press the hawkish Israeli leader to endorse Palestinian statehood and freeze Jewish colony expansion on occupied land.

But Netanyahu appeared unlikely to comply.

He was expected instead to urge Obama to put the elusive quest for Israeli-Palestinian peace on the back burner and make the campaign to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions a more urgent priority. Israel, uneasy over Obama's overtures to engage with Tehran, has not ruled out military strikes if diplomacy fails.

Netanyahu's effort to shift the focus of stalled peace talks away from tough issues such as borders and the future of Jewish colonies could mean a rocky road ahead in traditionally strong US-Israeli relations.