By Tom Cohen. John King and Jessica Yellin, CNN

updated 9:15 AM EDT, Thu March 21, 2013

Jerusalem (CNN) — President Barack Obama tried Thursday to invigorate the stalled Middle East peace process, urging young Israelis to pressure their leaders to seek peace with Palestinians while acknowledging the Jewish state’s historical right to exist and defend itself from continuing threats.

In a speech in Jerusalem that Obama had said would lay out his vision for the region, the president urged Israelis to look at the world through the eyes of Palestinians but also said enemies of Israel must change their rhetoric and tactics to reflect modern reality.

“You are not alone,” Obama said in both English and Hebrew, prompting a standing ovation when he declared that “those who adhere to the ideology of rejecting Israel’s right to exist might as well reject the Earth beneath them and the sky above, because Israel is not going anywhere.”

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Abbas, however, said the Israeli settlements are “more than a hurdle to peace,” calling them illegal and saying it was Israel’s duty to stop building them.

At the same time, Abbas said Palestinians believe peace “is necessary and inevitable,” and it should not be made through violence, occupation, walls, denial of refugee rights or settlements — reciting a list of Palestinian grievances against Israel.

He envisioned a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders with Jerusalem as capital — a scenario unacceptable to Israel.

On Wednesday, Obama and Netanyahu offered a “good cop-bad cop” approach to Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Both countries have accused Iran of secretly working toward building a nuclear weapon, and Netanyahu made it clear Wednesday after his talks with Obama that he believes the president is equally committed to preventing a nuclear-armed Iran.

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