JERUSALEM (AP) Israel's prime minister on Monday said he is making a "real effort" to reach peace with the Palestinians, but vowed to maintain a hard-line stance in recently relaunched negotiations.
The tough positions laid out by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu drew jeers from opposition lawmakers, and the Palestinians, already wary of his intentions, questioned his commitment to peace.
Under heavy U.S. pressure, Israel and the Palestinians in July relaunched the first substantive peace talks in nearly five years. The talks have taken place in secrecy, and the sides have mostly remained quiet about their content. The negotiations are to stretch until April.
In a speech to parliament, Netanyahu gave no signs that any progress had been made and repeated a series of tough positions that he said he would never compromise. Among them: that the Palestinians recognize Israel as the Jewish homeland, a refusal to allow international troops safeguard a final peace deal, and a pledge to hold a national referendum on any agreement.
"I will not give up on our national interests to get a nice headline in some newspaper or another or for applause from the international community," he said. "Those pass quickly, but we need to keep our national interests forever and that is what we will do."