Israel and the Palestinians are facing a" moment of real opportunity," for peace,  U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said at a meeting with President Shimon Peres, the first diplomatic session to be held over the course of his visit to the region.

Biden also reassured Israel of Washington’s commitment to security, and added that he hoped the pending indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinians would help the sides to overcome their mistrust. The points of agreement between the sides he said, outnumber the disagreements.
 

"The interests of both the Palestinians and the Israeli people, if everyone would just step back and take a deep breath, are actually very much more in line than they are in opposition," Biden said. He told the president that never before has the principle of a two state solution existed, and today it is the basis for dialogue.

 

Israel seeks a true peace with the Palestinians, Peres said, and is willing to go far in order to achieve peace. Both sides he said need to show generosity. “In no Hollywood movie does the good ending appear at the beginning,” the Israeli president told his guest.
 

Since the current U.S. Administration took office, Iran is more isolated than ever, both internally and externally, Biden told Peres.

The world must act to totally isolate Iran, Peres said, adding  the entire Arab world is aware of Iran’s ambitions. Iran said the president must be expelled from the United Nations.

“It is inconceivable that the Iranian President who calls for the destruction of an entire nation is accepted as a member of the United Nations and received as a hero,” Peres said.

The president told Biden that while he does not intend to advise the U.S. Administration, from Israel’s perspective, three principles must be upheld when dealing with Iran: to establish a moral voice against Iran’s dark regime; advance harsh economic sanctions and establish a defense net for the neighboring states.