(AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu got a warm and supportive welcome Tuesday from Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi, while postponing a potentially less comfortable meeting with President Barack Obama's Mideast envoy.
At a joint news conference after talks lasting about two hours, Berlusconi endorsed Netanyahu's plan for a future demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes Israel as a "Jewish state." That means that Palestinians must give up any notion of refugees who left what is now Israel — or their millions of descendants — resettling in their former homes.
And although the U.S. says emphatically that Israel must call an immediate halt to all forms of Jewish settlement activity in the West Bank, Berlusconi was more gentle, speaking only of the need for Israel "to send signals" on stopping settlement.
"It was a very warm welcome," an upbeat Netanyahu briefed Israel-based journalists traveling with him after the Berlusconi meeting. "It would be hard to find a better friend."
Both men also discussed Israel's concerns about what many Western countries say are Iran's nuclear arms ambitions.
Standing next to Netanyahu, Berlusconi said Italy's economic ties to Tehran had always had the blessing of Israel and the U.S., and would continue as long as Washington approved.
Both leaders said they discussed at length the situation in Iran following the disputed June 12 election that returned hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power. Opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi says he was the true winner, and his supporters have protested for days to demand a new election.
Netanyahu said the violent crackdown on the protesters "shows the true nature of this regime" that is making governments everywhere reassess their relations with Tehran.
"I believe that the courage shown by the people of Iran in facing bullets in the streets for the sake of freedom is something that deserves the salute of free men and women everywhere," he said.
