WASHINGTON-Despite no mention of the Israel-Palestinian quagmire during President Obama's "first 100 days" press conference, the second 100 days began full of Mideast peace activity.

Less than a week after the press conference, Israeli President Shimon Peres met with President Obama at the White House. Not only was this the first visit by a top Israeli official to the Obama administration, but it also set the stage for the upcoming meeting between the new President and the new Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Peres-Obama meeting was also on the same day in which Vice President Joe Biden addressed the annual AIPAC convention in Washington. (A convention which, by the way, named a Chicagoan, Lee Rosenberg, as AIPAC's president-elect.)

Vice President Biden began," A little over a hundred days ago, our country started on a new path ... the historic inauguration of the 44th President, Barack Obama ... grew out of the determination of millions of Americans who desperately wanted to change not only the direction of our country, but ... the trajectory that the world was on.

"...There is one enduring, essential principle that will not change; and that is our commitment to the peace and security of the state of Israel. That is not negotiable ... I want the word to go forth in here that no one should mistake it.

"That commitment began when the United States ... emerged from World War II as the preeminent ... power in the world, and one of our great Presidents, Harry Truman, reached out to a tiny, struggling state, emerging from the ashes of the Holocaust, and recognized the state of Israel. It's a commitment that spans generations, and ... both political parties ...it's our job to ensure that that endures.

"President Barack Obama shares that same commitment. His support is rooted in his personal connection to the Zionist idea to which he spoke about last year at this conference. He said last year that when he was a child, and I quote, "I was drawn to the belief that you could sustain a spiritual, emotional and cultural identity, and I deeply understood the Zionist idea that there is always a homeland at the center of our story."

But Biden then made it clear that the attitude of this administration will be different than that of the previous one. "We stand for the premise that the status quo of the last decade has not served the interests of the United States or Israel very well. It has not enhanced the peace and security of the region ..."

The Vice President then explained what the Obama administration expects from Israel. "Israel has to work toward a two-state solution," he said, adding, "You're not going to like my saying this, but not build more settlements, dismantle existing outposts and allow the Palestinians freedom of movement."

He said that Obama is "strongly and personally committed to achieving what all have basically said is needed - a two-state solution," something he called "absolutely necessary to ensure Israel's survival as a Jewish, democratic state."

A major reason to bring about Israeli-Palestinian peace, he said, is "to deprive Iran of the ability to extend its destabilizing influence" by helping groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. "The continuation of Israeli-Palestinian and Israeli-Arab ... conflicts strengthen Iran's strategic position. They give Iran a playing field upon which to extend its influence, sponsor extremist elements, inflame public opinion."

He reassured the crowd of pro-Israel activists that the Obama administration is "intensely focused on avoiding the grave danger ... of a nuclear armed Iran" and said its strategy of trying to dialogue with Iran offered the best chance of success."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who will be coming to Washington in a few weeks to meet with Obama, addressed the AIPAC convention via satellite from Jerusalem.

In an effort to avoid a disagreement that had threatened to raise U.S.-Israel tensions, he said he was committed to the full range of negotiations with the Palestinians, including on a Palestinian state. The Israeli leader had previously said he would emphasize Palestinian economic development for now and place statehood on the back burner.

"We are prepared to resume negotiations without any preconditions," Netanyahu said, describing a "triple track" approach covering political, security and economic considerations.

Netanyahu repeated Israel's demand that Palestinians should recognize Israel's Jewish character, but said that could be part of a "final peace settlement" and was not a precondition to negotiations.

"Next week, I'll be visiting Egypt and President Mubarak ... We seek expanded relations with the Arab world. We want normalization of economic ties and diplomatic ties. We want peace with the Arab world. But we also want peace with the Palestinians. That peace has eluded us for more than 13 years. Six successive prime ministers of Israel and two American presidents have not succeeded in achieving this final peace settlement. I believe it is possible to achieve it, but I think it requires a fresh approach, and the fresh approach that I suggest is pursuing a triple track towards peace between Israel and the Palestinians - a political track, a security track, an economic track.

"The political track means that we are prepared to resume peace negotiations without any delay and without any preconditions - the sooner the better. The security track means that we want to continue the cooperation with the program led by General Dayton, in cooperation with the Jordanians and with the Palestinian Authority to strengthen the security apparatus of the Palestinians...

"The economic track means that we are prepared to work together to remove as many obstacles as we can to the advancement of the Palestinian economy. We want to work with the Palestinian Authority on this track, not as a substitute for political negotiations, but as a boost to them. I want to see Palestinian youngsters knowing that they have a future ... not to be hostage to a cult of death and despair and hate. I want them to have jobs ... to have career paths ... to know that they can provide for their families. This means that we can give them a future of hope, a future that means that there is prosperity for all ...

"I believe that this triple track towards peace is the realistic path to peace, and I believe that with the cooperation of President Obama and President Abbas, we can defy the skeptics. We can surprise the world.

"But there are two provisos that I think have to be said at this point. First, peace will not come without security. If we abandon security, we'll have neither security nor peace. So I want to be very clear - we shall never compromise on Israel's security. Second, for a final peace settlement to be achieved, the Palestinians must recognize Israel as the Jewish state. They must recognize Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people."

The Prime Minister concluded by saying, "A few hours ago ... We marked the birthday of Theodore Herzl, the founding father of Zionism. Herzl revolutionized ... a people that was scattered and defenseless throughout the nations ... he published a slim pamphlet called, "The Jewish State." This was our salvation and this is our foundation - the foundation of our future and the foundation of peace."

Peace is also the stated goal of President Peres, who, the day prior to his White House meeting, also addressed the AIPAC convention. The 85-year-old statesman said, "A tsunami of hope is rolling across the globe, its center is right here in America ... May I say to President Obama - you are young enough to offer hope to the world and great enough to bring it to life.

"In his inaugural address, President Obama elegantly articulated what is needed, when he called for an outstretched hand instead of a clenched fist. In the future, our time may be considered as the age of outstretched hands.

"Israel stands with her arms outstretched, and her hands held open to peace with all nations, with all Arab states, with all Arab people.

"To those still holding a clenched fist I have just one word to say: enough. Enough war. Enough destruction. Enough hatred. Now is the time for change." "Unfortunately," Peres said, "the Middle East finds itself in the shadow of a nuclear threat. The fanatic rulers of Iran are on the wrong side of history. Actually, they are outside of history. We have respect for the Iranian people and its tradition. Historically, Iran sought to enrich mankind. Today, alas, Iran's rulers enrich uranium.

"Historically, the concern was to separate religion from state. Today, however, the challenge is to disconnect religion from terror ... A day will come, it's not far away, in which the Jewish people will live on their land, in peace.

"After two thousand years of exile, after Shoah, pogroms, transports, struggles, endless suffering, hatred, wars and bloodshed - The Jewish home will become a model country. A beacon of light among nations.

"'I have been young and have now grown older,' as the Psalm says. I feel I have the right to remain an optimist. My generation experienced serious trials and tribulations. We triumphed over them all. You and us gained the license to be optimists."

While the two Presidents conferred in the Oval Office, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, conducted the daily briefing.

There were several pointed questions asked about the peace process: A reporter asked, "In an interview in The New York Times this morning the political leader of Hamas, Khaled Meshaal, said ... that he extended a 10-year truce to Israel, and that they seek a state inside the 1967 borders. He did not recognize Israel, however. Will the Obama administration at some point, given how important Hamas will be to an eventual peace agreement, encourage the Israeli government to begin talking to them?"

Gibbs replied, "Well, I'm not going to get into what we might tell the Israelis before we have substantive conversations with them both today and later on in the month. I will say that we have long said that we believe there were certain things that had to be done before we would take any step like that, including the renunciation of terror, the recognition of Israel, and abiding by past agreements. And those haven't changed."

The journalist continued, "The process with the Palestinian Liberation Organization started the same way. They did not recognize Israel. They vowed its destruction. They did not renounce violence. That was managed through a peace negotiation. Could you explain how the administration sees the difference between what Hamas is now and where the PLO was?"

Gibbs answered, "Well, again, I'm not going to get into prejudging this. I think it's important-we'll have readouts on the meeting that we had today with President Peres, and the President looks forward to continuing engagement with leaders throughout the region, with Prime Minister Netanyahu to come to Washington soon, as well as others. "

Then this writer's first question, "Last week Mahmoud Abbas refused to acknowledge Israel as a Jewish state. Prime Minister Netanyahu, however, has said that that acknowledgment is necessary in order to go forward with negotiations. How does that affect the administration's position as far as creating peace in the Middle East?"

Gibbs' response: "Well, I think you know where the United States stands on that issue. And I think-you heard Vice President Biden today discuss a two-state solution. And the President looks forward to continuing to work on this issue with President Peres, Prime Minister Netanyahu and others in the coming weeks."

This reporter's second question," Israeli officials say the world must stop Iran's efforts to produce nuclear weapons before there can be progress on the Palestinian front. And U.S. administration officials have indicated that progress between Israel and the Palestinians is necessary first. How do you see this administration reconciling that difference?"

To that, he said, "Well, I think this administration does not believe that, as we've said on a number of other issues, that there's an either/or option here, that-I think it's a pretty obvious point that while we can make progress on one it will help on the other, but we can do both simultaneously."

This reporter's follow-up, "I didn't hear you address the issue of acknowledging a Jewish state?" And his answer: "I did address that. The President and the administration and this government are very clear on that."

President Peres' meeting with President Obama in the Oval Office was scheduled to last 20 minutes but went on for an hour. Joining Peres and Obama for most of it were National Security Advisor James Jones and White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel. But for the last 15 minutes of the meeting, Obama asked the others to leave so he could meet with Peres alone.

When Peres emerged from the West Wing, he told reporters who were gathered outside, that during the meeting, Obama told Peres that his support for Israel's security was unequivocal and would last his whole term. Peres said that contrary to some reports, "Mr. Netanyahu will abide by the commitments of the previous government. The previous government accepted the road map. In the road map you will find the attitude to the two state solution."

Peres said Israel is prepared to negotiate right now and that it had no intention of governing the Palestinian people. He added, "I don't have to say more than that for now."

As for Iran, he said that if Obama believes engagement has the best chance of stopping Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, Israel supports him in that effort.

Peres did take issue with Biden's call for a settlement freeze, noting settlements needed to be able to expand, saying, "Israel cannot instruct settlers in existing settlements not to have children or get married." He also rejected the idea of linking movement on the Palestinian and Iranian issues.

Later, it was announced that Obama presented Peres with a golden mezuza inlaid with turquoise stones. It is inscribed with a personal message to Peres: "A gift from the President of the United States, Barack Obama, to the President of the State of Israel, Shimon Peres, in honor of your visit to the United States."

Peres intends to install the mezuza on the door of his office upon his return to Israel.

Peres presented his host, Obama, with a wooden statue by the sculptor Raziah Gershon entitled "Longing for Peace," which shows a woman holding 20 doves of peace in her hand. It is engraved with the dedication: "To President Barack Obama - a great leader who carries a great hope for the whole world."