"I have no intention of removing a single community; I have no intention of uprooting a single Israeli," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday at a press conference in Davos, Switzerland, where he was attending the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum.
And, speaking of efforts to boycott Israel, Netanyahu said: "Economic pressure on Israel does not help move toward peace; it moves peace farther away. Those who want to advance peace must choose the opposite path -- you need to be fair and balanced."
Netanyahu also briefed reporters about his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, saying: "The meeting was very good. ... I restated the two principal issues that concern us: mutual recognition of two nation states -- with one of them being recognized as the Jewish people's nation state -- and of course, security."
Kerry also spoke at the forum on Friday, and made many references to Israel and the peace process with the Palestinians.
"President Obama's approach begins with America's steadfast commitment to Israel's security," Kerry said. "He knows and I know that there cannot be peace unless Israel's security and its needs are met. Palestinians need to know that at the end of the day, their territory is going to be free of Israeli troops, that occupation ends, but the Israelis rightfully will not withdraw unless they know that the West Bank will not become a new Gaza. And nobody can blame any leader of Israel for being concerned about that reality."
Kerry urged the leaders on both sides to reach a deal.
"At the end of the day, it is up to Prime Minister Netanyahu and [Palestinian Authority] President [Mahmoud] Abbas to recognize what the world has recognized: that peace is in the best interests of their people," Kerry said. "But that makes it no less true that at every level, everybody has a role to play. The Arab League and the European Union have already shown how they can pave the way for peace, and they have been unbelievably cooperative, and we're grateful for their help. ...There are some people who assert this may be the last shot. I don't know the answer to that. I don't want to find out the hard way."
Kerry stressed that peace would serve the parties' economic interests.
"Israel's economic juggernaut is a wonder to behold," he said.
"Prime Minister Netanyahu was able to talk to you about it here today. But a deteriorating security environment and the growing isolation that could come with it could put that prosperity at risk. Meanwhile, if this fails, Palestinians will be no closer to the sovereignty that they seek, no closer to their ability to be the masters of their own fate, no closer to their ability to grow their own economy, no closer to resolving the refugee problem that has been allowed to fester for decades. And if they fail to achieve statehood now, there is no guarantee another opportunity will follow anytime soon."
Appearing on Channel 2's Meet the Press on Saturday, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni warned against continued Palestinian intransigence.
"If [Palestinian Authority President] Mahmoud Abbas continues to insist on positions that we and the rest of the world consider unacceptable, the Palestinians will be the ones who pay the price," Livni said.
She also qualified Netanyahu's comments on removing communities in Judea and Samaria, saying, "Most of the Israelis are in settlement blocs and they will stay in their homes; as for the rest, we will have to discuss this matter."
Meanwhile, in an interview with the Palestinian At-Tarik weekly, PLO Executive Committee Secretary Yasser Abed Rabbo revealed some aspects of Kerry's peace plan. According to Rabbo, the plan would see international forces deployed in the border region of the Jordan Valley and other friction spots, with Israel maintaining full overall security control.