PM chairs weekly meeting, comment on US relations

(28 Mar 2010) SHOTLIST 1. Pan from sign to Israeli prime minister''s office 2. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arriving for cabinet meeting 3. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman speaking on phone 4. Cabinet meeting 5. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli prime minister "The relationship between Israel and the US is a relationship between allies and friends and it is a relationship based on long-standing tradition. Even when there are controversies, these are controversies between friends and that how it will stay." 6. Netanyahu at cabinet meeting 7. Wide shot, cabinet meeting 8. Banner on street reading: (Hebrew) "Netanyahu stand firm" 9. Wide shot, banners on street with second one reading: (Hebrew) "Obama will not humiliate Israel" 10. Municipality inspectors taking banners down STORYLINE Israel''s leader on Sunday attempted to play down tensions with the US following a rocky meeting at the White House last week. In his first public comments on the matter, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet that Israel''s relationship with the US was "a relationship between allies and friends and it is a relationship based on long-standing tradition". "Even when there are controversies, these are controversies between friends and that how it will stay," he added Bilateral relations have been marred by disagreements over Israeli settlement construction. Israel on Friday insisted it would continue building in contested east Jerusalem, taking an uncompromising stance against US pressure following Netanyahu''s tense visit to Washington. His meetings with President Barack Obama and other top US officials did not appear to quell US anger over the major east Jerusalem construction project whose announcement during a visit by Vice President Joe Biden touched off the worst diplomatic row between the countries in decades. The Palestinians want the eastern sector of the holy city as the capital of a future state that would include the West Bank and Gaza, and view the expanding Jewish presence in east Jerusalem as a challenge to their claim. On Friday, senior Israeli cabinet ministers began to formulate a response to Obama''s call for peace gestures toward the Palestinians to get peace talks back on track. No official result have been announced thus far and discussions were expected to continue on Sunday. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...