REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, WASHINGTON -  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the United States and other world powers on Tuesday not to allow Iran to retain the ability to enrich uranium, and urged Palestinians to recognize Israel as a Jewish state if they wanted peace.

Addressing the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC just a day after White House talks, Netanyahu avoided any explicit criticism of President Barack Obama but underscored the main differences with him over US-led nuclear diplomacy with Iran.

In a pledge that signaled both willingness to strike Iran's nuclear sites as a last resort and refusal to yield on core peace terms with the Palestinians, Netanyahu told a cheering audience: "I will do whatever I must to defend the Jewish state of Israel."

Turning to the Palestinians, with whom Israel renewed peace talks in July under US auspices, Netanyahu said he wanted an accord. But he put the onus on Palestinians to recognize Israel as a Jewish state - something they have long refused to do.

"It's time the Palestinians stop denying history. Just as Israel is prepared to recognize a Palestinian state, the Palestinians must be prepared to recognize a Jewish state," Netanyahu said.

With Netanyahu facing pressure to meet looming deadlines for salvaging a US-brokered Middle East peace effort, he insisted he was prepared to make "historic peace" with the Palestinians but offered no concessions. Obama pressed him in private on Monday to help bridge differences in "the next several weeks," a US official said.

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