Netanyahu: Israel willing to 'cede parts of our homeland' for true peace
Prime Minister tells Knesset that a Palestinian government that refuses to recognize Israel is no partner for peace; he also says Israel must stop blaming itself for the cycle of violence and start looking at the 'reality' of the situation with 'open eyes'.
By Haaretz Service Tags: Israel news Benjamin NetanyahuPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel would be prepared to compromise and "cede parts of our homeland" for true peace with the Palestinians, but added that he did not believe the latter was ready to be a true partner for peace.
A Palestinian government that comprises representatives of Hamas, a movement that refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist, is not a government with which it would be possible to make peace, said Netanyahu.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses Knesset, on May 16, 2011. |
| Photo by: Emil Salman |
Addressing the Knesset a day after an unprecedented wave of demonstrations marking Nakba Day, on which Palestinians annually protest the creation of the state of Israel, Netanyahu said Israel must stop blaming itself for the conflict and start looking at the "reality" of the situation with "open eyes".
The root of conflict was not the absence of a Palestinian state, said Netanyahu, but Palestinian opposition to the creation of the State of Israel.
"This is not a conflict about 1967 but about 1948, when the state of Israel was established," said Netanyahu. "The Palestinians call this a day of catastrophe, but their catastrophe is that their leadership has not succeeded in reaching a compromise. Still today, they don't have a leadership that is ready to recognize Israel as a Jewish state."
"We cannot bury our heads in the sand," Netanyahu said. "We must look at this reality with open eyes. We must call this child by its name – the reason there is no peace is because the Palestinians refuse to recognize Israel as the national state of the Jewish people."
A Palestinian state should be created only through a peace agreement, Netanyahu said, adding that Israel could not make peace with an entity intent on its destruction.
"I know that a vast majority of the nation understands that it is possible to make peace only with someone who wants to make peace," said Netanyahu. "Someone who wants to destroy us is not interested in peace."
"The Palestinian government, of which half declares daily that it is intent on destroying Israel, is not a partner for peace," added said Netanyahu, referring to the recent reconciliation between rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas and the imminent formation of a unity government. "They need to end the conflict, not continue it."
Netanyahu said he believed that most Israeli people would stand behind a foreign policy based on the following conditions:
The demand that Palestinians recognize Israel as the national homeland of the Jewish people; a commitment to end the conflict; a solution to the Palestinian refugee issue that did not require absorption within Israel's borders; the establishment of a Palestinian state only in accordance with a peace deal that did not infringe on Israel's security; that said Palestinian state be demilitarized; the preservation of large settlement blocs within the West Bank; and the insistence that Jerusalem remain the undivided capital of Israel.
But Netanyahu also appeared to hold out the prospect of future territorial compromise if his peace terms - which have drawn Palestinian rejection in the past - are met.
"These compromises, by the way, are painful because it means, in any event, tracts of our homeland. This is not a strange land, it is the land of our fathers and we have historical rights and not only security interests," he said.
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Netanyahu---- Open your eyes, a big surprise!!!
Netanyahu, you nut. You are the best thing that ever happened to the Palestinians.
This is entirely disproved by the Palestine Papers and Netanyahu's refusal to even touch PLO proposals. Bibi's Gov needs to go.
First it was "recognise israel" and then the goalpost moved to "recognise israel's right to exist" (no nation has a "right" to exist does it? They either do or dont exist, easy. And now its "recognise israels right to exist as the jewish nation". So when/if the palestinians agree to this too what will be next demand? That israel has the right to all the natural rescources in the area and can charge for the air the palestinians breath as its jewish air????
one smple reason. They hope to overpower Jewish state by flooding it with hosile refugees. Atherwise what is the problem to recognize Israe in 1967 borders?Enemies of Israel claim that if Israel will withdrow to 1967 borders there would be peace. Why then Arabs never wanted to make peace with Israel before 1967?
you have taken our country to its most isolated, hated status it has ever been. You are a gutless, incompetent prime minister who has hurt our country more than any other prime minister or any other person ever. If you had any pride, you would resign.
Israeli refusal to stop steeling palestinian Land in Westbank is root of conflict, but this is, what Liberman and Netanjahu do like
So far, all wars started by Arabs. So far they never acknowledged Jews rights to live in Israel. In Gaza we had to deport all Jews because it was obvious they would all be killed if IDF left. Luckily Arabs lost all wars so far. After that, they want "return everything as it was before". How long do the left-wing wants us to gamble. If we continue with the left-wing game, wars will continue and one time we will loose. Now what will happen then? The left-wing think that if Arabs will conquer Israel they will install a multicultural democracy and everyone will live happily ever after. How naive.
Blame Netanyahu all you want, but he is absolutely correct on this one. Unless Fatah and Hamas say very clearly that they recognize Israel as an indpendent state with a legitimate right to exist, have no aspirations to drive all Israelis into the sea, and stop attacking israel with rockets, mortars, suicide bombers and kidnappers; peace discussions would be useless, senseless and non productive and there will be none. Once these essentials are in place and peace discussions are underway, boundaries, settlements and possibly E. Jerusalem can be discussed. Don't hold your breath on E. Jerasalem or right of return but one never knows until tried. But if the Palestinians cannot meet the essentials for having peace discussions they can only kick themselves where they sit. To blame Israel or to blame Netanyahu is insane. The ball is in Palestinian court. Kick the ball and stop complaining for God's sake.
The problem is also that Netanyahu has no desire to offer the Palestinians a State of their own, contiguous borders, and that he refuses to stop the illegal outposts and settlement growth and that he refuses to agree to any meaningful compromise necessary to end the conflict. Netanyahu fought against a two State solution his entire life and he has not changed now. He is more concerned about what's best for Bibi Netanyahu that what is best for Israel.
Netanyahu is right. There is no peace to be made with any entity that doesnt acknowledge and respect its right to exist. Israel will not go away and it should not pander to any country who asks it to cow tow to the surrounding terrorists who do not accept its right to exist. If the rest of the world wants peace in the middle east, take the side of the only country - Israel - that is willing to be a true ally.
Would Israel recognize the thieve, who has stolen their land during more than 60 years?? The Palestinians are in this situation without being responsible for the creation of the Jewish state. It was the politic in Europe, especially the antisemitisme in Nazi Germany. If Israel will not change their politic towards the occupied Palestinians, there will be no peace. The world is fed up with the trickery of Israel and their permanent ignorance of international laws and human rights.
This is zionist drivel at its worst and something that they have been spewing since the first peace accords were signed with the palestinians. And has Israel upheld any of those agreements? Of course not. Again, this lie, this myth must be confronted with the fact that palestinians have no love for Israel or what it has caused Palestinian society but it recognises the reality of the Israeli state as its neighbour and has agreed to historic concessions of agreeing to form a state within 23% of Palestine. Israel refuses to recognise this and insists on its building campaign to steal land and change the demographic balance of that land. Land and demographic change=zionism and this has nothing to do with Palestinian recognition of Israel.
As 'strongest' military power in the Middle east, Israel looses the moral power by playing the blaming game. By not adressing the collective fears of being 'threw back in the sea',, etc... create the circumstances for these fears to materialize. Deep down, Israel 'knows' what will happen to the 'villa'. Then, it will become clear who, when and how the chances to create another reality were wasted. Honest self-introspection generates the greatest fears, but also unshakable true Inner Power. By every ongoing day, the door to that last opportunity decrease... Too bad...
Israel is trying to force the Palestinians to say the words je..w..is by force and coercion. That won't work The only way comes through respect earned by fair and honest negotiations. Such negotiations cannot be in any way influenced by the horribly biased US team led ny Ross. Let the Europeans have a shot. Waterboard Abbas and Erekat and they may say the words Jewish State. I want to know when this demand had any validity othr than Israeli claims.
That's the kind of leadership that is needed to stand up to Palis in Wonderland.
Israeli refusal to stop steeling palestinian Land in Westbank is root of conflict, but this is, what Liberman and Netanjahu do like
The roots of this conflict is the illegal occupation of a land that does not belong to Israel, the settlements in highly populated palestinian areas, the theft of palestinian natural ressources, the oppression of a people that YOU kicked out of their house, cities and villages in 48 and 67, the humiliation of a people that you and most of your ancesters never considered as a people, the denial of their palestinian identity, their culture, their heritage and their history over Jerusalem and the whole country, your use and abuse of military force to oppress innocent people, your shameful propaganda to demonize the palestinians and their leaders, your obsession to destroy any palestinian national aspirations.These are the main roots of this conflict. Your blabla about 'recognition of Israel' is pathetic. Your lies and manipulation are pathetic. You will not get away with it and at long last the world will see how the palestinians have been treated since 45 years. There's a price to pay for peace and palestinians have already paid a high price. It's your turn now.
happy to see israel missing out on yet another chance to reconcile .. great job guys .. chances for peace never were better .. but u seem to vote for the guys least likely to pull it off .. build your walls and your domes and hopefully, someday, these walls will keep u from stealing more palestenian land ..
"It is important to note that the events are taking place on the day Israel was established. The struggle is not about the '67 lines but about the very existence of Israel =חשוב לציין שהאירועים מתקיימים ביום כינונה של מדינת ישראל. המאבק אינו על קווי 67' אלא ערעור על עצם קיומה של ישראל." - Netanyahu// The fact is that Nakba Day is on May 15th, not exactly the date of Israel's establishment which was the 5th of Iyar, May 14th. Both dates have to do with the end of the British Mandate (on midnight between the 14th and 15th). The Palestinians are mourning their loss of homeland and independence, just as Jews are still mourning their loss of national independence in antiquity on Tisha b'Av. Why does Netanyahu need to lie? I guess it is his nature; a salesman is not concerned with truth but with what sells.
Israel's refusal to recognize the Palestine is the root of the Mideast conflict
If you do open them and look further than bibs words you will in fact see thousands of Palestinians languishing in refugee camps ....while others live in their homes!
Netanyahu is the propagator of deceit and trickery. When he speaks for Israel, the credibility of Israel declines further. Netanyahu is the essence of narrow nationalism rationalizing injustices and deceit for the sake of putting a moral face on an ugly interior.
who's stopping them,go the the UN
Palestinians recognized Israel in 1993. All they are asking in return is that Israel recognize the state of Palestine i.e. they do not insist that Israel recognize the "Arab state of Palestine", any more than they accept that they have to recognize the "Jewish state of Israel".
Well said Bibi. Hope there will be no land concessions, tho how your gvt can transfer the tax money to the PLO is beyond belief.
Same old games from Netanyahu. Unless the USA stops treating Israel with kid gloves, nothing will get resolved.
"Me, me me, its all about me. Why isn't the world helping me? Why didn't the U.S. attack Iran's nuclear facilities? Why? why? why? mommy, mommy help me, I know I gave the world the finger time and again, I even called Mubarak names when he was still our friend, I humiliated Turkey our strongest Muslim ally, I gave our strongest ally the U.S. the shaft when they asked to freeze the settlement for a mere 3 months, I even rejected the $3 billion dollar bribe associate with it, but I am a changed man now. I promise to be more discrete when I give our best friends the finger or spit in their faces from now on".