Barak: Israel must back Palestinian state

JERUSALEM, June 8 (UPI) -- Israel is committed to cooperating with the United States to bring about a Palestinian state, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Monday.

Speaking before the Labor Party faction meeting, the defense minister said the government of Israel is obliged to uphold all the agreements signed by former governments, including the road map that clearly stipulates the two-state solution.

Barak said he hoped the U.S. administration will not ignore Israel's interests. "I am convinced that on the diplomatic front we should praise the initiative suggested by U.S. President Barack Obama," the Maariv daily quoted Barak saying.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said he will reveal his Mideast policy at a speech he plans to deliver at Tel Aviv's Bar Ilan University next week.

A statement released after Sunday's Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem quoted Netanyahu as saying Israel wants to achieve peace with the Palestinians and Arab countries, while attempting "to reach maximum understanding with the United States and our friends around the world."

"My aspiration is to achieve a stable peace that rests on solid foundations of security for the state of Israel and its citizens," the prime minister said.

Netanyahu added that next week he intended to deliver what he described as a "major diplomatic speech" before the Israeli public.