Obama, Netanyahu try to move past rows

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured US President Barack Obama on Monday that he remained committed to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as they sought to mend ties strained by acrimony over Middle East diplomacy and Iran.

Meeting Obama for the first time since the signing of the Iran nuclear deal, Netanyahu said he backed a vision of "two states for two peoples", but maintained that any Palestinian state must be demilitarized and recognize Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people, a condition Palestinians have rejected.

Patching up relations could help smooth the way for a new 10-year US military aid package, which Obama told Netanyahu he wanted to get a "head start" on negotiating.