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."
@highlight
NEW: President Obama receives Israel's highest civilian honor
@highlight
Obama calls on young Israelis to pressure their leaders to work for peace
@highlight
Secretary of State John Kerry will stay on to hold talks with Israeli leaders
@highlight
Palestinian leader Abbas says Israeli settlements threaten a two-state solution
Israelis
Israelis
Israel
Israel
Israel
Israel
Israelis
Israeli
Israeli
Noting the similarity between the histories of @placeholder and African-Americans as former slaves who endured hardship before gaining freedom in a new land, Obama said, "Our very existence, our presence here tonight, is a testament that all things are possible."
Palestinians
Palestinians
Palestinian
It is not just when settler violence against @placeholder goes unpunished.
Palestinians
Palestinians
Palestinian
Arab states must seek normalized relations with Israel, and @placeholder must "recognize that Israel will be a Jewish state, and that Israelis have the right to insist upon their security," Obama also said.
Israelis
Israelis
Israel
Israel
Israel
Israel
Israelis
Israeli
Israeli
Arab states must seek normalized relations with Israel, and Palestinians must "recognize that Israel will be a Jewish state, and that @placeholder have the right to insist upon their security," Obama also said.
Israelis
Israelis
Israel
Israel
Israel
Israel
Israelis
Israeli
Israeli
He prompted applause from the young @placeholder crowd when he criticized their government's controversial policy of building new settlements in disputed territories.
Palestinians
Palestinians
Palestinian
"The @placeholder people deserve an end to occupation and the daily indignities that come with it," he said at a news conference with Abbas, adding that Palestinians deserve "a future of hope" and a "state of their own."
Palestinians
Palestinians
Palestinian
"The Palestinian people deserve an end to occupation and the daily indignities that come with it," he said at a news conference with Abbas, adding that @placeholder deserve "a future of hope" and a "state of their own."
Abbas
Obama said he and @placeholder discussed, among other things, the Israeli settlements and the issue of Palestinian prisoners.
Israelis
Israelis
Israel
Israel
Israel
Israel
Israelis
Israeli
Israeli
He envisioned a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders with Jerusalem as capital -- a scenario unacceptable to @placeholder.