“The leader of a much smaller people,”

"... Sitting at Mr. Obama’s side in the Oval Office, leaning toward him and at times looking him directly in the eye, the Israeli leader bluntly rejected compromises of the sort Mr. Obama had outlined the day before in hopes of reviving a moribund peace process. Mr. Obama, who had sought to emphasize Israel’s concerns in his remarks moments earlier, stared back.... Most significant among his public objections, Mr. Netanyahu said that Israel would not accept a return to the boundaries that existed before the war in 1967 ... ... But Mr. Obama went to length in his remarks on Friday to acknowledge Israel’s security concerns and to emphasize what he called “the extraordinary bonds between our two countries.” When Mr. Netanyahu called Mr. Obama “the leader of a great people” and then fumbled with his words after calling himself “the leader of a much smaller people,” the president interrupted to correct him. “A great people,” he said. ... ... An Israeli official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations, quoted Mr. Netanyahu as telling his aides: “I went in with certain concerns. I came out encouraged.”

'Meanwhile, in Palestine ....'