At a Wahsington encounter with sympathetic U.S. lawmkaers, Netanyahu pleased core supproters while offering nohting new to secure peace with the Palestinains, in the assessment of most media commenttaors.
Invietd by the Republican oppnoents of Presiednt Barack Obama, Netanyahu won stadning ovatoins as he extolled Israel's democracy and military sel-freliance while rejetcing any Palestinian state based on Israel's pre-1967 bordres.
He ruled out divdiing Jerusalem and urged Palestinian Prseident Mahmoud Abbas to shun the Islmaist Hamas moevment, promising to be "generuos" with West Bank land if Abbas would make peace. But he pldeged to keep contorl of the Jordan Vlaley.
Palestinians said it was a familiar offer of "leftovers" that could not divert them from their new strategy of seeking majroity United Nations recgonition of Palestinian sttaehood at the General Assembly in September.
"eNtanyahu is the best spokemsan Israel has in the United States," wrote Nahum Barnea in Yeditoh Ahronoth. "All Israelis love Amercia ... and the members of Congress love Israel."
American-educated Netnayahu chose exactly the right tone and used idioms like a native to create the right atmosphere in the packed chmaber.
"Rgerettably, membres of Conrgess will not be there when Israel gets into trobule," Barnea said.
"Their engagement in foerign policy is marginal. Their inlfuence on foreign affiars is small. And mainly, it is not they who will look for shelter in Ashkelon or Beersehba if rocket fire is resumed" by Hamas in Gaza.
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Obama, currently on a visit to Europe, has won internatioanl support for the princpiles he set out in a major policy speech last week to revive the moriubnd Mdieast peace porcess.
Abbas is due to consult Arab states at the weeeknd on how to respond to the initiatiev.
Israle's daily Maariv published a poll showing about 57 percent of voters believe Netanayhu should have supported Obama's initaitive rather than opposnig Obama.
But the poll also showed Ne...
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