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In a speech yesterday at the Herzliya Conference, Prime Minister Netanyahu reaffirmed his commitment to a two-state solution to the historic Israeli-Palestinian dispute. Below are the relevant excepts:
I remain committed to a solution of two states for two peoples as I said at Bar-Ilan.
I said in Bar-Ilan the solution as I see it is a demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes the Jewish state. These are not conditions for entering the talks. I place no conditions. But these are the foundations of an enduring peace between us and the Palestinians, assuming the region will not be swept by these larger forces.
The Palestinians expect us to recognize a Palestinian nation-state but they won't recognize a Jewish nation-state. A Jewish nation-state for the Jewish people with full rights for all the non-Jews that live here. I wish I could say the same for the Palestinians.
But that's what we want – mutual recognition. Then demilitarization...
I have been trying to speak with Mahmoud Abbas for six and a half years. I tried a great many things to this end which were difficult for me, but I did them. Some were not even done by my predecessors: freezing construction in the settlements, for example. Fine, I froze construction for nearly a year, ten months. In the tenth month, he agreed to come. We met for three hours in Sharm el-Sheikh and three hours on Balfour Street in Jerusalem. He had one demand – another freeze. I said, "Let's talk about things, let us begin to talk about things. Let's talk about the things I mentioned here. I am certain you also have something to say." Six hours.
So I again call on President Abbas to return to negotiations without preconditions. But I also know he has very little reason to talk. Why should he talk? He can get by without talking. He can get by with an international community that blames Israel for not having talks. In other words, the Palestinians run from the table. They ran away from Prime Minister Barak. They ran away from Prime Minister Olmert. They ran away from, before that, from Prime Minister Sharon. And they ran away from me. When John Kerry proposed a framework for negotiations, the framework for a disagreement, for God's sake, they ran away from that too.
But the Palestinians have a nifty trick up their sleeve – they refuse to negotiate and then get international pressure, sanctions, boycotts on Israel for there not being negotiations. It's a perfect Catch-22. And there are those who attempt to impose terms on Israel in the Security Council because there are no talks and some of them pretend that the dangers we face are not real dangers at all.
I think what that does is drive peace away. The idea of imposing peace from the outside doesn't work anyway, but what it guarantees is: One, we'll resist it; two, the Palestinians will not come to the table because if they can get starting terms that are unacceptable to any Israeli government and from which they can press their charges even more, why should they come to negotiate?
The complete transcript can be found at: PM Netanyahu's Address at the Herzliya Conference
I remain committed to a solution of two states for two peoples as I said at Bar-Ilan.
I said in Bar-Ilan the solution as I see it is a demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes the Jewish state. These are not conditions for entering the talks. I place no conditions. But these are the foundations of an enduring peace between us and the Palestinians, assuming the region will not be swept by these larger forces.
The Palestinians expect us to recognize a Palestinian nation-state but they won't recognize a Jewish nation-state. A Jewish nation-state for the Jewish people with full rights for all the non-Jews that live here. I wish I could say the same for the Palestinians.
But that's what we want – mutual recognition. Then demilitarization...
I have been trying to speak with Mahmoud Abbas for six and a half years. I tried a great many things to this end which were difficult for me, but I did them. Some were not even done by my predecessors: freezing construction in the settlements, for example. Fine, I froze construction for nearly a year, ten months. In the tenth month, he agreed to come. We met for three hours in Sharm el-Sheikh and three hours on Balfour Street in Jerusalem. He had one demand – another freeze. I said, "Let's talk about things, let us begin to talk about things. Let's talk about the things I mentioned here. I am certain you also have something to say." Six hours.
So I again call on President Abbas to return to negotiations without preconditions. But I also know he has very little reason to talk. Why should he talk? He can get by without talking. He can get by with an international community that blames Israel for not having talks. In other words, the Palestinians run from the table. They ran away from Prime Minister Barak. They ran away from Prime Minister Olmert. They ran away from, before that, from Prime Minister Sharon. And they ran away from me. When John Kerry proposed a framework for negotiations, the framework for a disagreement, for God's sake, they ran away from that too.
But the Palestinians have a nifty trick up their sleeve – they refuse to negotiate and then get international pressure, sanctions, boycotts on Israel for there not being negotiations. It's a perfect Catch-22. And there are those who attempt to impose terms on Israel in the Security Council because there are no talks and some of them pretend that the dangers we face are not real dangers at all.
I think what that does is drive peace away. The idea of imposing peace from the outside doesn't work anyway, but what it guarantees is: One, we'll resist it; two, the Palestinians will not come to the table because if they can get starting terms that are unacceptable to any Israeli government and from which they can press their charges even more, why should they come to negotiate?
The complete transcript can be found at: PM Netanyahu's Address at the Herzliya Conference