Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday cautioned the Palestinians against taking unilateral action in their efforts to establish an independent state, saying that only direct talks could bring peace to the region.
Mr. Netanyahu also said he was working with the United States on ways to revive the talks, which stalled just weeks after their launch because of disagreements over Israeli settlement construction.
As the stalemate drags on, the Palestinians have said they are considering sidestepping Israel by seeking U.N. Security Council recognition of a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem — territories the Jewish state captured in the 1967 Mideast war.
At the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting, Mr. Netanyahu spoke out against such an approach and called on the Palestinians to "honor their obligation to engage in direct negotiations."
"I think any attempt to circumvent it by going to international bodies isn't realistic and won't advance true peacemaking in any way," Mr. Netanyahu said. "Peace will be achieved only through direct talks."
Palestinian officials said they don't expect President Mahmoud Abbas to take drastic action before next September, President Obama's target date for reaching an agreement. But they said Mr. Abbas already has started to prepare for other options.
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Mr. Netanyahu also said he was working with the United States on ways to revive the talks, which stalled just weeks after their launch because of disagreements over Israeli settlement construction.
As the stalemate drags on, the Palestinians have said they are considering sidestepping Israel by seeking U.N. Security Council recognition of a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem — territories the Jewish state captured in the 1967 Mideast war.
At the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting, Mr. Netanyahu spoke out against such an approach and called on the Palestinians to "honor their obligation to engage in direct negotiations."
"I think any attempt to circumvent it by going to international bodies isn't realistic and won't advance true peacemaking in any way," Mr. Netanyahu said. "Peace will be achieved only through direct talks."
Palestinian officials said they don't expect President Mahmoud Abbas to take drastic action before next September, President Obama's target date for reaching an agreement. But they said Mr. Abbas already has started to prepare for other options.
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Get Out!!!
ReplyDeletein 1967, the Arab nations surrounding Israel attacked with the intention of erasing that nation from the planet...bad mistake....since then, they have been screaming about the land they lost...lol..the only time I can remember that a country STARTED a war, lost, then just wanted to go back to "the way things were"...that land is strategic to Israel...I wonder if they had WON the war, would they let Israel have their country back?? LOL...sometimes, the "spoils of war" don't work out in your favor...
ReplyDeleteHow did Israel become so good at killing its neighbors? The Jews went from being persecuted to being the ultimate fighting machine. Where did they get the training? Where did they get the money? How did this happen?
ReplyDeleteSo many questions
Makes me think the U.S.A. has provided some help via our taxes - huh?
1:18, If the Arabs had won they wouldn't be giving Israel their country back now because they didn't take their country. The United Nations Partition dicated exactly which land Israel was to have and Israel decided it wasn't enough. The "pre-emptive" attack was merely a perfect time to take what the Zionists believed was theirs. Only problem is beliefs don't dictate land distribution. Israel and the Zionists forgot about that part.
ReplyDelete