JERUSALEM, June 29 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late Monday he is willing to negotiate with the Palestinians on the basis of U.S. President Donald Trump's Mideast "peace plan."
The remark was made overnight in a pre-recorded address to a conference organized by "Christians United for Israel," a U.S.-based pro-Israeli evangelical group.
Speaking two days before his set date for annexing part of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Netanyahu urged the Palestinians to "embrace" Trump's plan.
"I encourage the Palestinians not to lose another opportunity," said Netanyahu.
"They should be prepared to negotiate a historic compromise that could bring peace to Israelis and Palestinians alike. Israel is prepared for such negotiations, and I am prepared for such negotiations," he added.
Netanyahu has set July 1 as the date for his plan to annex the Jordan Valley, which makes up some 30 percent of the West Bank, a territory seized by Israel during the 1967 Middle East war.
The Palestinians and the international community have condemned the plan as a violation of international law and a threat to regional stability.
