JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak presented a plan for an agreement with the Palestinians.

The points could shed some light on the plan that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will present when he speaks to a joint session of the U.S. Congress later this month.

Israel will take "brave steps" and "make difficult decisions" for peace, Barak said Tuesday night at a reception for soldiers at the military's headquarters in Tel Aviv.

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- President Obama reportedly is planning a new speech to the Muslim world that would call for a rejection of Islamic militancy.

The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that the White House is planning for such a speech within the next two weeks, just as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to roll out proposals for reviving peace talks with the Palestinians in a meeting with Obama and in a speech to the U.S. Congress.