Netanyahu Says Israel Will Not Cede Any Territory to Palestinians, Appearing to Rule Out the Establishment of a Palestinian State
March 8, 2015
AP - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel will not
cede any territory due to the current climate in the Middle East,
appearing to rule out the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Netanyahu's comments, which came
as he sought to appeal to hard-liners ahead of national elections next
week, rejected a key goal of the international community and bode poorly
for reviving peace efforts if he is re-elected.
"Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that any evacuated territory would
fall into the hands of Islamic extremism and terror organizations
supported by Iran. Therefore, there will be no concessions and no
withdrawals. It is simply irrelevant," read a statement released by his
Likud party.
Netanyahu's office said the statement reflected the prime minister's long-held position.
The
international community has long pushed for the creation of a
Palestinian state on lands captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war.
In 1993, Israel and the Palestinians signed an interim agreement that
was to lead to the end of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Numerous rounds of peace negotiations have been held since then, with the most recent talks breaking down last year.
Palestinian official Saeb Erekat said Netanyahu was using regional strife as an excuse.
"Today
Netanyahu revealed his true face," Erekat said. "Since 1993, he worked
hard for the destruction of the option of peace and the option of a
two-state solution."
Ahead of
national elections, centrist and leftist political parties in Israel
have said they support the resumption of peace efforts with the
Palestinians.
There was no immediate U.S. reaction.
No comments:
Post a Comment