New York City ? Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday he intends to “confound” critics and skeptics and make peace with the Palestinians — but he said he needs a partner.

Netanyahu challenged Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to sit down with him. If he does, the Israeli leader said a peace agreement could be reached in a year.

Netanyahu’s message to Israelis, Americans and the wider world two days after patching up relations with President Barack Obama was that he became prime minister for a second time to take “political risks” for real peace.

He told several hundred people at the Council on Foreign Relations that it’s time to stop putting conditions on direct Israeli-Palestinian talks and start negotiations “now, next week, in two weeks.”

“We’re ready to make far-reaching concessions today, and the best way to test that is to start negotiations,” Netanyahu said.