U.S. and Israeli Leaders Continue Push For Peace

Even though the prospects for peace between Israel and the Palestinians seem further out of reach, President Barack Obama and Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu are reaffirming their commitment to the peace process.

Their meeting at the White House today was their first in more than a year. Tensions peaked earlier this year as Obama pursued an Iran nuclear deal that Israel vigorously opposed.

In comments to reporters before their private talks, they sidestepped their disagreement on Iran, with Obama calling it a ``narrow issue.'' Netanyahu didn't mention the matter at all.

Today, documents revealed that Israel has given preliminary approval for a settlement project in the West Bank, an area that Palestinians are demanding as part of a future state.

But Netanyahu today reaffirmed his support for a two-state solution, though he gave no ground on the Israelis' longstanding conditions for achieving that outcome.

White House officials said Obama today was focused more on getting Netanyahu to outline ways to keep confrontations between Israelis and Palestinians to a minimum, in the absence of a long-term solution. (Metro Networks Inc.)