Obama and Netanyahu hold meeting on Palestinian-Israeli peace talks

Washington: US President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a White House meeting on Tuesday to discuss Palestine and Israel resuming peace talks.

Netanyahu on Sunday endorsed the US call for direct talks between the two parties, just days after White House officials said Obama would push during the Oval Office session for those negotiations to get under way sooner rather than later.

Addressing his Cabinet on Sunday, Netanyahu said the "time has come" for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to get ready to meet with the Israelis "because there is no other way to advance peace. I hope this will be one of the results of the visit to Washington."