. >> israeli prime minister benjamin merritt and that you met with president obama at the white house yesterday. the israeli prime minister said the next steps in the middle east. process would begin within a few weeks and spoke in favor of direct talks with the palestinians. the two leaders commented on the irony in nuclear program and a blockade of the gaza strip. this is 20 minutes. >> i want to thank the prime minister for his comments on the fourth of july. that marked one more chapter in the extraordinary friendship between our two countries. as prime minister netanyahu indicated, the bond between the united states and israel is unbreakable. it encompasses our national security interests, our strategic interests, but most importantly, the bond of two democracies who share a common set of values and whose people have rown closer and closer as time goes on. during our discussions in our private meeting, we covered a wide range of issues. we discussed the issue of the gaza strip and the commanded the prime minister on the progress that has been made and allowing more goods into the