Subscribe to Print Edition | Wed., November 25, 2009 Kislev 8, 5770 | | Israel Time: 11:37 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
Jewish World Haaretz Toolbar
Diplomacy
Defense Opinion National
Print Edition
Car Rental
Focus U.S.A. Strenger than Fiction Business Travel Magazine Week's End Anglo File Books
Share |
Last update - 11:37 25/11/2009
Netanyahu: Abbas, let's relaunch peace talks now
By Sara Miller, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Israel news 

WASHINGTON D.C. - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday addressed thousands of North American Jews at the General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America, where he urged Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to relaunch peace talks immediately.

(Click here to read the full text of Netanyahu's speech at Jewish Federations of North America GA)

Abbas announced last week that he would not run for another term in an election scheduled for January, citing deadlocked efforts to revive peace talks.
Advertisement

"We should not place preconditions for holding talks, such preconditions have never been set in 16 years," Netanyahu said, referring to the Palestinian demand that Israel completely halt construction in West Bank settlements before talks can resume.

"No Israeli government has been so willing to restrain settlement activity as part of an effort to relaunch peace talks," the prime minister added, addressing Abbas by name and saying "let us seize the moment, let us relaunch peace talks immediately."

"Peace between Israel and its neighbors could spare our children the horrors of war," he continued. "Peace could also usher in a new era of tremendous economic progress for the benefit of everyone in the Middle East."

"I think people are beginning to see that we are eager to achieve peace with our neighbors," he said, "especially the Palestinians."

"My goal is not negotiations for the sake of negotiations. My goal is to achieve a permanent peace treaty between Israel and the Palestinians - and soon," Netanyahu declared.

Referring to the Palestinian demand in previous rounds of peace talks that Israel grant Palestinian refugees from around the world the right of return to the homes in Israel from which they were expelled, Netanyahu stressed that "they must abandon the fantasy of flooding Israel with refugees, give up irredentist claims to the Negev and Galilee, and declare unequivocally that the conflict is finally over."

"It will take years for the spirit of peace to permeate levels of Palestinian society," he added.

"We're willing to make great concessions for peace but there can be no concessions on Israel's security. We have to ensure that weapons do not flow into the Palestinian areas in the West Bank, which overlooks Tel Aviv and surrounds Jerusalem."

Netanyahu also addressed the issue of the recent vote at the United Nations General Assembly on a UN-sponsored report which accused Israel of committing war crimes in Gaza last winter. The Goldstone report was adopted by the 192-member General Assembly in by a vote of 114-18. Netanyahu thanks the U.S. for voting against the resolution that called for the Goldstone findings to be "credibly and independently" investigated. He thanked U.S. President Barack Obama for "resolutely opposing this twisted UN resolution."

The prime minister went on to applaud the U.S. Congress vote, which preceded the UN debate, for condemning the "biased report."

Netanyahu began his address by saying that the Jews had brought "at least three big ideas to civilization: monotheism, the belief that all people have innate rights that transcend the power of kings, and the vision of universal peace."

His speech was briefly interrupted by a female protester who yelled out urging a lifting of Israel's seige on Gaza. But the prime minister didn't break his stride and quickly resumed his address, saying "I was better received at the UN." The protester was escorted out of the hall.

The prime minister then addressed the Jewish communities outside Israel, saying that "strengthening Jewish identity can no longer be a task exclusively for the Diaspora.It is increasingly the responsibility of the Jewish State."

"Over a decade ago, I was proud to be the first Prime Minister to allocate state funds to bolster Jewish identity outside of Israel. And I assure you that in my second term, I intend to do even more," he continued.

In Israel, a last-minute scheduling of Netanyahu's White House meeting, after Israeli officials said over the past several weeks that Netanyahu hoped to see Obama, was widely seen as a sign of strained relations between the two leaders.

However, Netanyahu's media adviser Nir Hefetz said Monday following the address that "on our side there is no tension. Molcho, the prime minister's special envoy sat with [U.S. Middle East envoy] George Mitchell's team earlier today and they prepared the [Netanyahu-Obama] meeting. Naturally it will focus on the Palestinian issue and we hope that the meeting will strengthen and deepen the channel of communication between the prime minister and President Obama, and that it will prompt the resumption of peace talks."

For the full text of Netanyahu's speech click here
PROMOTION: Mamilla Hotel
Bookmark to del.icio.us  
 
New Mideast plan
Ray Hanania, American-Palestinian, married to a Jew, running for PA presidency.
Shalit on the table
PA negotiation officials for Gilad Shalit deal arrive in Syria to discuss finalizing deal.
  1.   All talk no action 20:13  |  Amiz Vaz 09/11/09
  2.   Arabs dont want peace with Israel... 20:36  |  ben 09/11/09
  3.   ONLY A STRONG ISRAEL... 20:37  |  Pierre S 09/11/09
  4.   " willing to restrain settlement activity" Clinton words stolen. 20:38  |  John 09/11/09
  5.   A miraculous change 20:39  |  Mark Lincoln 09/11/09
  6.   Oh! 20:45  |  Osama 09/11/09
  7.   3 Big Ideas? Err really? None of those are Jewish are they? 20:52  |  Michael 09/11/09
  8.   Netanyahu the hypocrite 21:01  |  zezi 09/11/09
  9.   Same ol` rhetoric from the far-right 21:06  |  Libertad 09/11/09
  10.   You can`t have peace with the settlements 21:16  |  D 09/11/09
  11.   America has its own warcrimes to worry about. 21:24  |  Maureen Ann 09/11/09
  12.   Bibi, it`s all empty talk... what would you offer him...?! 21:28  |  Esther 09/11/09
  13.   More hollow words from Bambi 21:31  |  Miss America 09/11/09
  14.   I love Bibi, because he tells it like it is. 21:32  |  4:20 09/11/09
  15.   I Watched on C-Span 21:33  |  Stephen 09/11/09
  16.   Amiz, ofcourse the unholy coalition still stuck-to-their-seats... 21:35  |  Esther 09/11/09
  17.   Thanks, but keep it to yourself and out of our business 21:37  |  Reform Jew 09/11/09
  18.   No One Posting Can Slam J Street or Obama 21:37  |  Stephen 09/11/09
  19.   All talk no action 21:40  |  ILetzter 09/11/09
  20.   Bibi, time is so much not on your side 21:53  |  Charlie 09/11/09
  21.   Netanyahu is a creation of the very US jewry he is addressing 22:05  |  David Moshkovitch 09/11/09
  22.   There is a curious parallel 22:11  |  Mark Lincoln 09/11/09
  23.   No 1 is right. All talk no action in destroying arab terror 22:15  |  Harold Armstrong 09/11/09
  24.   End the settlements, no talks til then 22:31  |  Basil 09/11/09
  25.   Code Phrases 22:36  |  Dave Duncan 09/11/09
  26.   Reform Jew 22:46  |  Diaspora Jew 09/11/09
  27.   Prez. Obama does not trust Nutanya who? 22:49  |  Peter 09/11/09
  28.   PM Netanyahu talks of security for Israel, but how is his policy 22:50  |  Smadar 09/11/09
  29.   No pre-conditions?? Israel imposed countless ones on PA 23:10  |  Isaaq 09/11/09
  30.   Israeli Jewish leaders are lost... 23:10  |  American 09/11/09
  31.   Blah, Blah, Blah! 23:13  |  Galahad 09/11/09
  32.   Tells it like it is? 23:16  |  alan 09/11/09
  33.   I dont know what planet he lives on---but it is not 23:17  |  Labhras 09/11/09
  34.   Alas! Yet again Jews have to worry about their existence. 23:19  |  Akram Zekaria 09/11/09
  35.   If Abbas wasn`t going to give an alternative to Hamas,why call fo 23:21  |  feige 09/11/09
  36.   Netanyahu is a joke 23:29  |  Axel 09/11/09
  37.   yeah reform Jew u are marrying out at an unprecedented rate. You 23:36  |  Steve 09/11/09
  38.   Absurd claim 23:36  |  Miransky 09/11/09
  39.   well, I mean if he says so, out of fear of Barack H. of course 23:36  |  fawning in no rain 09/11/09
  40.   Where Lincoln`s parallel fails 23:37  |  SDHD 09/11/09
  41.   To Mark Lincoln #10 23:39  |  Josh 09/11/09
  42.   Smadar`s question 23:40  |  SDHD 09/11/09
  43.   No "talk" while illegal jewish settlements continue to be built ! 23:49  |  palestinian 09/11/09
  44.   haya. is it poss arabs wont talk peace bcs they dont want peace? 00:04  |  Mary Poppins 10/11/09
  45.   Whatever Bibi 00:27  |  Steve 10/11/09
  46.   Reform Jew: You are SOOOOOO WRONG 00:53  |  EZ 10/11/09
  47.   BALONEY 03:09  |  Mitch 10/11/09
  48.   Netanyahu is lost... mystified 04:49  |  allang 10/11/09
  49.   The only acheivment of Mr Natanyahu 05:44  |  C2 10/11/09
  50.   #11 Diaspora Jew 05:49  |  C2 10/11/09
  51.   How About Peace Talks Reality TV Show? 05:53  |  Yosemite 10/11/09
  52.   Less than 10 percent of americans would agree with Mark Lincoln 06:01  |  Voice of Reason 10/11/09
  53.   slick bibi 06:04  |  shelly 10/11/09
  54.   Abbas can`t launch peace talks, because he`ll be asked to: 07:08  |  Eitan 10/11/09
  55.   netanyahu`s lofty "claims" are NOT reflected by his actions 07:17  |  eric 10/11/09
  56.   Nothing for something 09:23  |  Yonatan 10/11/09
  57.   Lets Not 09:24  |  MiddleStanian 10/11/09
  58.   Netanyahu: Abbas, let`s relaunch peace talks now 09:32  |  Esther 10/11/09
  59.   King Bibi of the Contradiction 10:28  |  Des D 10/11/09
  60.   Follow Roadmap and peace talks would restart 10:50  |  Bloodyscot 10/11/09
  61.   Only fools and horses 11:05  |  Good Guy 10/11/09
  62.   The two state solution is dead! 11:20  |  Fritz T. 10/11/09
Special Offers
Advertisement
Eldan Rent a Car
Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on online reservations
Protea Hills
A Retirement Village in Nature Nestled in the Foothills of Jerusalem
Date Local Jewish Singles
Ready to meet your match? Join Jdate today!
Junkyard
Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt
More Headlines
09:46 Report: Internal Hamas row holding up Shalit deal
10:57 Analysis / Will Israel free Barghouti for Shalit? What will it mean?
09:32 Rights group: 69 cases of Palestinian olive trees destroyed, but no prosecutions
08:25 With all eyes on Iran, who's watching Pakistan's nuclear arsenal?
11:32 Lieberman demands cabinet take polygraph tests over leak to Haaretz
07:13 Keeping the Golan won't protect Israel from Syria
10:13 Israeli scientists: Solve erectile dysfunction with electric shock
10:10 TV ROUND-UP: Sides edge toward Shalit swap, Barghouti release debated
09:46 Yedidia Stern drops out of race for attorney general
10:07 Ahmadinejad wins support for Iran nuclear plan in Latin America
06:41 U.S. may allow Israeli upgrades to F-35 fighter jet
06:35 German film helps Jewish athlete right historical wrong
06:28 Former Shalit negotiator Amos Gilad expected to resign from Defense Ministry
Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Site rules |
| Advert: Recommended Restaurants | Makom: Engaging on Israel
| Search engine marketing
Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.
© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved