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Last update - 21:32 14/06/2009
Rightist MK: Netanyahu has lost support of the nationalist camp
By Haaretz Service
Tags: bibi speech, Haaretz TV 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's foreign policy address on Sunday evening was met with mixed responses from across the political spectrum.

(Click here for the full text of Netanyahu's speech.)

Both Israeli Arab and nationalist political leaders blasted the speech as political spin, while President Shimon Peres praised it as "strengthening Israel's international position and opening the door to direct peace negotiations."
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"The Prime Minister's speech was a true and courageous speech that referred to the main issue - the establishment of a demilitarized Palestinian state alongside the state of Israel, the state of the Jewish People," said Peres.

"These remarks, which were enunciated in a clear voice, are very important regarding the strengthening of stability in the Middle East and constitute an opening of direct negotiations towards both a regional peace and a bilateral peace between Israel and the Palestinians."

MK Aryeh Eldad, of the National Religious Party, accused Netanyahu of violating his own promises and said the nationalist camp could no longer support his policies.

"Today the prime minister lost the leadership of the nationalist camp by not only transgressing his own red lines, but by converting from his own religion," said Eldad of Netanyahu's declaration that he would accept the creation of a Palestinian state so long as the international community could guarantee it remain demilitarized.

"With the expression 'demilitarized Palestinian state,' Netanyahu is trying to eat a pig butchered in a kosher way," he added. "There is no such thing as a demilitarized state, Netanyahu knows very well that no political force on earth can prevent a country from arming itself or signing military treaties like any other country."

MK Zevulun Orlev, of the Jewish Home party, said that the policy represented a drastic change in stance and was an affront to the coalition agreement.

"Netanyahu offered lip service by agreeing to a demilitarized Palestinian state, thus disappointing most of his coalition partners," he said. "Netanyahu's speech requires a serious coalition discussion to ensure that the democratic resolution as it was manifested in the elections will be represented in the government's policy."

Israeli Arab MK Ahmed Tibi said that the address was full of contradictory policy, and essentially a "ploy" to close the rift growing between Netanyahu's government and the Obama administration.

"Netanyahu's mountain turned into a mole hill," said Tibi. "The speech manifests an intellectual fixation which sees a non-sovereign Palestinian state together with continued settlement construction. I hope that the White House will blow the cover from Bibi's [Netanyahu's] public relations ploy. The PLO [Palestine Liberation Organization] doesn't need to, and never will, recognize Israel as a Jewish state."

MKs from the opposition Kadima party, however, said that the speech represented a long-awaited step toward regional peace.

"Today the prime minister recognized the interest of the Israeli-Jewish interest which is the immediate talks geared toward the creation of a Palestinian state," said MK Otniel Schneller. Kadima must, as a responsible party which believes in the people's unity and wellbeing, support the practical steps toward realizing the prime minister's peace plan."

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat welcomes Netanyahu's remarks on Jerusalem, particularly his vow "to strengthen and develop united Jerusalem." Barkat said he would continue to work with the prime minister to "change the negative trends of Israel's capital city."

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