JERUSALAM, February 19, 2008 (WAFA) Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said on Tuesday that peace negotiations with the Palestinians are in the Jewish people's best interests.

Livni made her remarks at the opening session of fifth annual Jerusalem Conference held in Jerusalem.

"Failing to negotiate and hold peace talks with the Palestinians will plunge Israel into a full-scale religious war for which there is no resolution," though pragmatic, moderate forces within the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) fail to live up to their Road Map commitments, Livni said.

She added that time is not on Israel's side and "we will eventually have to concede parts of the country."

Livni stressed that "Israel's security is not only an Israeli interest but an essential step ahead of a Palestinian state."