ISRAEL: NETANYAHU MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS PRESS CONFERENCE

(7 May 1998) English/Nat Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he welcomes the return of U-S envoy Dennis Ross to the Mideast - before Sunday's crucial Cabinet vote - to discuss modifying U-S proposals for a West Bank withdrawal. But he also said only the government of Israel can determine Israel's security needs. The Middle East Peace process is continuing - slowly. U-S envoy to the Middle East, Dennis Ross will travel to Israel to push for acceptance for a U-S initiative which would accelerate talks to the final stages. But Israeli Prime Minister warned that his country must be left alone to make the final decisions. Netanyahu was speaking to reporters at the Foreign affairs and Defence Committee meeting in the Knesset on Thursday. Previously, he had said he was not taking ultimatums from the United States. SOUNDBITE: (English) "I think the assistance of the United States, it friendship and the partnership with it is absolutely important for us. But remember that even among friends there is going to be disagreements and in this case it is agreed between us that as friends that on matters of security that Israel and Israel alone is the one that can make the determination." SUPER CAPTION: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, head of the opposition Labour party, urged Netanyahu to move the process forward. SOUNDBITE: (English) "To stop the peace process right now might amount to a tragedy would damage the security of the State of Israel." SUPER CAPTION: Ehud Barak, Head of Labour Party Meanwhile, Israelis from the Ateret Cohanim Yeshiva, a group that runs a Jewish seminary and buys Arab property in east Jerusalem, continued a second day of protest in a building in the Old city of Jerusalem. The decision to move into the building came after an Ateret Cohanim seminary student Haim Korman was stabbed to death on Wednesday, the second group member to be killed by in the Old City in six months. Ateret Cohanim also set up two large green tents on a patch of land in the Muslim Quarter, saying they would redouble efforts to establish a Jewish presence in the area. SOUNDBITE: (English) "From 67 (1967) our goal is to build here a Jewish neighbour (hood) a Jewish neighbourhood that was here (as) before, all the houses, were here as you can see, it was all Jewish houses." SUPER CAPTION: Yossi Kaufman, Executive of Ateret Cohanim But the wrangle between Jewish and Palestinian settlers cannot abate until Prime Minister Netanyahu concedes to some Palestinian demands. The struggle for peace is backed by everyone. Even Hillary Rodham Clinton, when speaking to Israeli and Arab teen-agers in Geneva by satellite link-up Wednesday, said she supports the eventual creation of an independent Palestinian state. The American first lady's comments went further than formal U-S policy, which is simply that the creation of a Palestinian state is a matter for Israel and Palestinians to work out themselves. U-S Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, who stayed on in London after talks with Netanyahu and Palestinian Chairman Yasser Arafat, talked with the British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook. Albright invited Netanyahu and Arafat to a Washington summit with President Bill Clinton, provided the two adversaries could reach interim agreement on issues they failed to settle in London. 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...