Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boards a plane in Israel on Sunday ahead of his Washington visit.

Elise Labott
CNN State Department Producer

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for an immediate resumption of peace talks with Palestinians Monday before meeting with President Barack Obama.

"My goal is to achieve a permanent peace treaty between Israel and the Palestinians and soon," Netanyahu said in a speech to the Jewish Federations of North America. “I say to Mahmoud Abbas, leader of the Palestinian Authority: Let us seize the moment to reach an historic agreement, let us begin talks immediately,”

Netanyahu said he would work for a lasting peace with the Palestinians, promising "great concessions" as long as they don't compromise Israel's security.

“With the support of the United States, peace can become a reality,” Netanyahu said, hours meeting with President Obama to discuss the peace process and Iran's nuclear program.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has just returned from the Middle East, where she failed to persuade President Abbas to resume talks with Israel until it agrees to a complete freeze of settlement construction.

Clinton angered Palestinians and Arabs when she praised Israel's agreement to limit settlement-building as "unprecedented." She later clarified that the United States "does not accept the legitimacy" of building Israeli housing on occupied Palestinian land.

In his remarks Netanyahu pledged more steps to improve economic conditions in the Palestinian areas, but made no new proposals on curbing settlement construction.

Netanyahu is also expected to discuss with President Obama as well as a United Nations report that accuses Israel and Hamas, which controls the Gaza strip, of committing possible war crimes during an Israeli offensive earlier this year.

Calling the report "twisted," Netanyahu thanked Obama for opposing the report, which he claimed deprives Israel “of our right to defend ourselves.”

During his remarks police removed a protester who stood up and shouted: “Shame on you! Peace for Israel and Gaza!” Netanyahu joked that he received a better reception at the United Nations, where he spoke in September.