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"We are ready to give up terror for peace, to give up hate for hope," he said.
The speech, "From Tehran to Beirut and Gaza: The Middle East at a Crossroad," was the fifth and final installment of the Middle East Policy Forum.
In March, former President Jimmy Carter came to GW as the third speaker in this series to talk about his new book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid," which has drawn criticism around the globe.
"I am pleased that this is a campus that can host Jimmy Carter and (Meridor) back to back," said University President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg in his opening remarks at the conference.
On Friday, Meridor discussed a willingness on the part of the Israelis to cooperate with the Palestinians.
"We are trying to work with moderates and bring change to Palestinian society," he said.
He spoke of Israel's disengagement from the Gaza Strip in 2005 as evidence of their efforts. He said it is now up to the Palestinians to decide whether to move toward peace or away from it. Since the Israelis have disengaged from the Gaza Strip, Palestinians have continued to launch attacks against Israel.
"We are trying to work with moderates and bring change to Palestinian society," he said.
Meridor was critical of the election of a Hamas-led government in January 2006, calling it the selection of a terrorist organization that does not recognize Israel's right to exist.
"We thought there was a movement toward the center, but Palestine moved back," he said.
He said the conflict is not just between Israelis and Palestinians, but involves a wider network of terrorist organizations. He said Iran contributes to the violence between Israel and its Arab neighbors as it backs the Islamist organizations Hezbollah and Hamas. But he said the Iranian threat is not insurmountable.
"Iran is blocking efforts toward peace in the region," Meridor said. "I think (Iran) can be stopped."
