A Palestinian peace deal could open up economic growth across the Middle East, Binyamin Netanyahu told US supporters on Tuesday, but is still held back by security concerns and a lack of recognition of Israel as a Jewish state.





“I am prepared to make a historic peace with our Palestinian leaders,” he told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s annual conference in Washington.



“Peace would be good for us and good for the Palestinians but also open up the possibility of achieving better ties with other countries,” he added.



“Many Arab leaders already realise that Israel is not their enemy but peace would turn this into an open and trusting relationship.”



Netanyahu also paid tribute to US peace-making efforts, which have often appeared to irritate Israeli leaders.



“Like New York and Tel Aviv, John Kerry is the Secretary of State who never sleeps,” joked Netanyahu. “I have got the bags under my eyes to prove it.”



The speech to the leading US-Israeli lobby group contrasted with a chilly meeting at the White House on Monday where Israel made clear it felt it was doing all it could.

But Netanyahu re-iterated his calls for a full recognition of Israeli sovereign rights and a lasting security presence.

“It is time the Palestinians stopped denying history,” he said. “They must be prepared to recognise the Jewish state – no excuses, no delays.”



“If this peace is to be more than just a brief interlude, Israel needs security arrangements. We shall always hope for the best, but in the Middle East we have to be prepared for the worst. This position may not win me universal praise but I am charged with protecting the security of my people.”



The trip has left many in Washington fearing that the elusive peace deal is as far away as ever and brought an equally chilly response from Palestinian leaders.



Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi told The Associated Press that the Israeli leader went to Washington “ready to allocate blame without, in any way, showing any sign of willingness to do the right thing – to stop settlement activities, accept ‘67 borders, accept signed agreements, end illegal actions and move ahead. Instead, he is reiterating his ideological condition of recognition of a Jewish state.”



Netanyahu also repeated his scathing criticism of US and European nuclear negotiations with Iran, contrasting its support for killing in Syria with Israel’s offer of medical facilities to wounded civilians.

“In a Middle East saturated by butcherism and barbarism, Israel is a force for good. The border is a dividing line between decency and depravity,” said Netanyahu.

“The only thing that Iran sends abroad are rockets and terrorists,” he added, calling Iran a “brutal theocracy” that represses millions and whose “soothing words do not square with aggressive actions”.

“The greatest threat to our common security is a nuclear armed Iran,” concluded Netanyahu. “We must prevent them from having the capability to make weapons.”