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Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta called on Israelis and Palestinians to “get to the damn table” and resume peace negotiations.

“The problem right now is we can’t get them to the damn table to at least sit down and begin to discuss their differences,” Panetta said Dec. 2 at the Saban Forum in Washington, D.C.

A spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded the next day, saying the Palestinian leadership is to blame for the lack of negotiations, and that it is playing “diplomatic games.”

In his speech, Panetta reaffirmed the Obama administration’s commitment to preserving Israel’s security, as well as concerns regarding Iran’s nuclear threat, though he was clear that U.S. military action against the regime remains a “last resort.” — jta