Netanyahu: We're ready for peace, but won't be suckers

Since when is the victor in a war required to give territory back? Should the United States give the Southwest back to the Mexicans? Have we returned the land taken from Native Americans pursuant to "manifest destiny"? Is communist China entitled to Taiwan? Have the Australians and New Zealanders returned that land stolen from the indigenous peoples? On a similar note, is the United States paying reparations to the citizens of African descent who were forced here as slaves? The Palestinians started a war of aggression and lost in 1967 and 1973. They had an amazing settlement on the table under Ehud Barak and walked away under the intransigent "leadership" of Yasser Arafat. What kind of racism requires Israel to act differently than the other nations of the world?

Corrections to false stements about Politics: March 2010 is not Congressional elections they're in November..the party in the White House usually looses seats in House of Representatives. 2011 is not a lame duck year. Because he still the Pres and could be for 5 more years. To be the incumbant office holder is always a strong poistion to campaign from. Polls go up and down..after Obama's speech the other night approval polls shoot upward...ther's plenty of time left. The difference w/ Obama is that he focused on Pal -Israeli conflict from day one. And will focus the next 2800 days if necessary.

(retry) "The original PLO Charter made a VERY UNORIGINAL OBSERVATION". (my EMPHASIS) Absolute RUBBISH, johnboy. The charter is the CONSTITUTION and the DECLARATIONS therein are CAREFULLY crafted to REPRESENT what the PLO stands for. Thus the DISAVOW of land OWNERSHIP in the charter was NOT, as you LAMELY described it, "a very unoriginal observation". It is a classic FREUDIAN SLIP. After all, there was NOTHING to stop the palis from INCORPORATING the CLAIM that WB/Gaza were pali lands into such an IMPORTANT document REGARDLESS of who was in CONTROL of the lands at that time. For johnboy to WHINE about "Not this nonsense", he is SAYIING that the charter and its DECLARATIONS was scripted using TOILET PAPER and NOT worth the material it was written on.

A seasoned chess-player like Bibi? Outmaneuvered by idealist beginner Obama?... impossible! Unless he is afraid that likudniks think he is taking them for suckers?...also impossible!

Thank you for the compliment.

Great post, Gavriela. Finally someone with common sense and understanding of real rather than revised history. Thanks for a short, coherent and eloquent post.

Israel will be much, much better off when she cares not a twit for what the world thinks. Yes, I am well aware that my words sound arrogant, but when the whole world is wrong, Israel must ignore it. Throughout Israel's history, she has stood alone. Sometimes it is lonely being alone, but that is her destiny. Israel needs only HaShem. With Him Israel will never be truly alone. Call me a religious nut. I don't care. Call me all the names you like. Time will prove me correct.

Absolutely right. "Bibi" is making promises to an American President and then blatantly breaking them the next day to appease hard core Zionists. All in the name of a few hundred housing units. This Government, and the Israeli right that is supporting it, is drastically overestimating their strength. They are going to isolate themselves, and Israel, as a result. They will discover how strong they actually are when the U.S. is no longer there to help them...

On what basis do you say the "West Bank" is not Judea and Samaria? And what was the "West Bank" from 1948 to 1967 if not illegally occupied by Jordan? What was the transfer of "Palestinian" Arabs into the "West Bank" between 1948 and 1967 if not illegal settlement? And what was the expulsion of Jews from the "West Bank" if not ethnic cleansing? I love the double standard much of the world applies when it comes to the Jewish people.

israel is not alone in the great palestine venture.it is,appearances notwithstanding,a partner and major actor,whose survival however,especially at its present standard of living,depends entirely on the US,and allies.what is behind this project,british initiated,time will reveal.probably-all palestine in "western" or "judeo-christian" hands.i say nothing about non-jews. do any of you think the u.s,or anyone ever,would give billions p.a,endow with overwhelming military superiority,if he wasn't in on the action?if he had to reluctantly accept his junior partner's "defiance".more likely there is full accord and co-planning than any rift ever between the two.

The native American were the suckers,and so were the Aboriginals and Maori,and the tibetan. Non of them have become terrorist.although their land was stolen from them.And because they have chosen non violence they had no help. And now the people that stole their land are supporting the Palestinian.Is terror the reason for the support,or just sheer hate of Jews?.

Your forfathers were illegal settlers that have stolen the land from the Maori treat them as animals,and then legalize their crimes.They were not terrorist,you were the terrorist.

We've heard it all before, "we are willing to make concessions, blah blah", then another hiatus as Israel imposes more impossible demands. The fact is Bibi CAN'T make any concessions. He knows that settlements are illegal (can't settle a territory held under belligerent occupation) and that annexing E J'sem is illegal (can't unilaterally annex without occupied territory's agreement). And he knows Abbas, Obama, EU, Arab League etc are not going to let Israel get away with these illegalities. He can't concede anything, because the zealotic nationalists will bring him down if he as much as murmurs compromise. So peace negotiations are a forgone non-event, all he can do is stall and keep inventing obstacles. Fine. This time has to be the last throw. Thereafter, the US, EU and UN 'suckers' HAVE to get into gear and impose diplomatic, economic, military, legal and political sanctions on Israel until it comes to its senses. Israel is obviously not capable of doing so on its own.

kiwi girl since we are here in israel and you are in far away australia the safest option is to let you get on with your rants and abuse while we continue to live our lives.

the lands of the entire region are jewish.we will not leave the hills of judea and samaria.not ever.

your words are devoid of any meaning.jerusalem is a jewish city.as long as the people of israel want it to stay jewish it will be jewish. there is nothing foreigners can do about it.

Between June and November 1967, motions in the UN Security Council and General Assembly blaming Israel for the war were defeated or withdrawn six times and motions demanding that Israeli forces return unilaterally to the pre-war lines were defeated or withdrawn on four occasions. UNSCR 242 does not apportion blame for the outbreak of the fighting and does not condemn Israel for the action it took. Nor does it demand the immediate and unconditional return of the territories captured by Israel. (see Harris, Cases and Materials on International Law (5th ed. 1998, 224, note 1) and Shaw, Public International Law (4th ed. 1997) 789-790). Instead, it endorses the interdependent principles of ?land for peace? requiring both an Israeli withdrawal from ?territories? and a termination by the Arab states of their ?belligerency? against Israel and ?respect for and acknowledgement of? its sovereignty. Damn right this was a compromise. It took 5 months to negotiate.

what an outrageous thing for netanyahu to say in light of recent events stemming from his policy. "we are not willing to be suckers" holy toledo, bibi!; since when is the con artist the "sucker"? "we have proven time and again that we are willing to make compromises for peace" gee bibi, when exactly was that? not anytime recently; and certainly NOT the withdrawal from gaza. that was part of a larger scheme of sharon's...one that fate kept him from bringing to its conclusion. "compromises"? where are they? but then maybe the disparity lies in YOUR definition of "compromise"? but the proof's in the pudding, bibi...and there's NO pudding to be seen. the one "good" thing about the audacity of netanyahu's comments is that they're completely negated by current events and his OWN policies; which are the complete antithesis of his pious claims. without the slightest bit of chagrin, he reveals the deceitful nature of israel's longstanding approach to peace negotiations. he's fooling no one, except those who choose to close their eyes because they "prefer" to believe what he's saying.

Ummm Judith, New Zealand's indigenous people are the Maori's . Please don't confuse us with Australia's indigenous people. Education is great please learn it before typing.

Twice, no less. Which, so sorry, doesn't make your nonsense twice as meaningful; it just means that you've shown an ability to lift both cheeks, one after the other.... Are you pleased with yourself?

CKT: "Oh kiwi girl - guess you are IGNORANT of the FACT that the original PLO Charter stated CLEARLY that WB and gaza are NOT pali lands." The original PLO Charter made a very unoriginal observation: AT THAT TIME the Palestinians did not exercise sovereignty over the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. And, indeed, they did not. That is not at all the same as saying that the land was not stolen from them, because it was the very fact that SOMEONE ELSE was squatting on their land that was preventing them from proclaiming their sovereignty over that land.

He can't even keep a pledge made by a PM of his own party to the US, he calls the US an ally, but lies to the US routinely. He now talks about being ready, but only wile constructing 1000 new obstacles to any hope for peace. Likud might believe him. It's doubtful the US or EU does. Maybe he's snowed some non-Likud Israelis. He thinks the rest of the world are suckers. We aren't all suckers.

"(WB) is stolen land from the Palestinians...for over 60 yrs" Oh kiwi girl - guess you are IGNORANT of the FACT that the original PLO Charter stated CLEARLY that WB and gaza are NOT pali lands. In 1964. SIXTEEN years AFTER modern Israel was founded. Since you CANNOT even get such a basic FACT right, your HOWLS of "we are the world" and "laws" are but HOLLOW noises.

"It`s like a reformed gangster expecting to be lauded as "better than anyone else" because he agrees to give up his life of crime." Ta ta

"It`s like a reformed gangster expecting to be lauded as "better than anyone else" because he agrees to give up his life of crime." Ta ta

The reply remains the same. No peace, no way. I can understand. If he were to make the slightest move towards peace Netanyahu could at the very least expect to be expelled from office as he was once before. Given the proven proclivities of the members of his own party, he might well face the fate of General Rabin. Netanyahu new the score when he refused to join a Kadima government. He knew that to be PM once again, he would have to deal with an Obama government which saw peace in the mideast as the ONLY way to free America from endless wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Bibi knew he could not rule Israel if he made peace. And he knew he would be under some pressure to make peace. He clearly wants to rule Israel. And that means no peace. Peace would bring the Israeli right down upon him. And without the Israeli right he is nothing. War, is the only answer. Endless war is what the Israeli body politic voted for last time. Without war, BIbi becomes a twice failed Prime Minister.

Sorry I was not "courteous" in my post. What do you want: 1. 2 states for two peoples? 2. 1 state for all with Jews in minority? 3. An apartheid state that is illegal, immoral, and will only bring more death and destruction? What is your solution?

You have no right to speak until you and your country compensate materially for having stolen hundreds of thousands of Aborigine kids from their parents!

Just like you don't care what Israel thinks, Israel shouldn't care what the world thinks. But, that aside, aren't you on land stolen from Aboriginees? Many people have asked you that question and you never seem to answer.

I agree with Cynic. The real "suckers" are actually the U.S. government and taxpayers along with Obama. Netanyahu continues to play us for fools, knowing full well that there will never be any real pressure to freeze settlements. Obama can't afford to alienate all those right-wing Americans who believe in Israel, so he'll continue the same relationship, despite the fact that Netanyahu approved hundreds of more housing units. He just collects his 5 billion dollar paycheck from us every year and ignores whatever we tell him. Talk about suckers.

learn this! jerusalem is jewish. has been. and will be. arabs and others are welcome to visit. at the end of the visit - you go back to where you came from! and that is no bs, bs news!

who has time to care about that?

Bibi: "We have proven time and again that we are willing to make compromises for peace, but we won't lead ourselves astray - we are not willing to be suckers," What is Bibi alluding to? Why, I believe he is alluding to those occasions when Israel has accepted that (for example) it isn't entitled to keep the Sinai for itself Or when it agreed that it isn't entitled to rip off Jordan when it comes to riparian rights. You know, all those times when Israel agrees that it will abide by the rules of civilized behaviour.... such things constitute (in Bibi-speak) an "Israeli compromise for peace". As in...... we really did want to steal *this*, and to rip-off *them*, but, errr, OK, we'll agree that we won't..... It's like a reformed gangster expecting to be lauded as "better than anyone else" because he agrees to give up his life of crime....

..... what is "Jerusalem"? After all, Israel unilaterally expanded the "municipal boundaries of Jerusalem" by administrative proclamation in 1967, prior to declaring that Israeli law would henceforth apply within those boundaries. Note, of course, that this is a loophole that allows ANY Israeli PM to get around the "Basic Law: Jerusalem". Because if the boundaries of "Jerusalem" can be expanded willy-nilly by a pen-pushing flunky then those boundaries can also be shrunk by proclamation. Q: Jerusalem must remain united and whole? A: Sure, and it is, only today we've decided that "Jerusalem" is a awfull lot smaller than we thought it was yesterday....

Dr. Brnd is correct Obama needs to be voted out I am concerned about which flag he represents...

The Israelis have never been interested in peace, only more settlements on stolen Palestinian land, and the only suckers are those who are taken in by their lies...

"we will not withdrew from judea and smaria because it is above all jewish land.that is our belief" It is not Jewish land!!!!!!!!!!!! It is stolen land from the Palestinians whom you have treated worse than dogs for over 60 yrs...the world does not give a flying fox about what your friggin beliefs are. We have law, black and white letters that say Israel occupies stolen land, and its also says you have to get the off that land...and so say we...the world!! Beliefs just don't cut it in the real world, and no ombudsman would rule against the law.

You would give the land you stole from the Native Americans back! Under the Obama administration's policies either give it back voluntarily, or it will be redistributed with the rest of America's wealth

I wasn't even born when the holocaust and WW11 went down. I am not plagued by guilt because of what occurred, and unfortunately now we cannot even discuss the holocaust because it is illegal to question the numbers. This is a new generation that now only see the genocide that these once poor Jews now commit in the name of their religion. I am plagued with guilt that my government doesn't have the balls to stand up to Israel and tell it where to go, especially after the last Gaza slaughter. You are a rude arrogant bunch, putting your finger up to those who do not agree with Israels war mongering policies. Soon you will have no friends in the world but hmmm its all about the Jews again. About time the Zionists did care what the whole rest of the world thinks!!!

whats so bad about striving for fair play and establishing harmoney between two peoples.

No one ever accused Israel of being suckers for anything. Indeed, their reputation, well-deserved, is that of a nation that gives nothing and takes much. Yes, israel is small but its ambitions are big and its prey are weak and easily chewed up. This, of course, has to change if there is to be peace in the middle east. Israel came in as a new neighbor (Biblical history notwithstanding and actually quite irrelevant) with a compelling story that seemed to justify the taking of other's land, but it has since proven to be a rapacious settler with no regard at all for its neighbors. Any wonder it has become a pariah nation!

Like Netty tried to sucker Obama into attacking Iran while turning a blind eye to illegal settlements?

Sorry to sound coarse but all i hear is western powers knew the holocaust was happening but let's get this straight - The powers that be at the time didn't know until it was too late to do anything about it. And while you are free to whine all you want about it, Israel got some real estate for jews to be safer. Now suddenly you're complaining that the ROTW bands up to keep Israel in check for adopting some 60yr old policies that caused such tragedy back then? Get yourself a mirror and keep convincing yourself that Palestinians are worth less than you eh?

Oh really. where did you get that from. When was east Jerusalem part of Palestine. When was there a palestine. How come it wasn't the capital of Palestine between 1949 and 1967? Strange that before 67 no one complained that it was illegally occupied by Jordan.

Settlements on occupied land are a violation of international law. The West Bank is not Judea and Samaria. Period. Israel has ignored international law for years and Netanyahu is breaking signed agreements relating to settlements and a Palestinian State. He did the same in his first term, halting the land for peace agreement which led to the second Palestinian uprising. Israel's word is obviously worthless, particularly when it comes to peace. No better than Iran's. The only sucker I can think off is the one who likes strife and war. Shalom is not in Netanyahu's vocabulary.

You know as I know, that Israel will never reliquish Ramot, Gilo, the Jewish quarter, GIvat Tzarfatit, Gilo, Givaat Zeev. Is that east or west? And who cares? Ther palestinians know that There is a part of Jerasalem that they could demand, such as Abu Diss, a not much more.

Petra the arabs have had a proposal on the table since 2002. Olso Accords were in 1993 and that hope fell apart with Rabin's assassination. Close again in 2000 with Clinton. Time is right and the Israeli - Palastinian conflict is of world importance. It now directly impacts USA national security. I know that the Holocuast occurred and it's a very sad point in history. Don't throw that language around as a free pass. America has stand by Israel, and Israelis should show more appreciation and gratefullness. US Congress is approving another $3.0billion gift for Israel, as it does annually. Also Israel Gov asked the US to guarantee a $1.5-2.0 bill loan. Who cared about Israel in the '73 war, America airlifted food, supplies war materials etc, do you forget? Petra, the world is flat and one event affects the rest of the planet. Israel and Jewish people will live long into the future..your survival is not at risk in 2009.

petra, you are referring to the murder of the European Jewish population. Could you please tell me what is the connection between WWII Holocaust and the situation between Israelis and Palestinians today?

Bibi & his hardline right wing policies is riding high in the polls in Israel. Obama is sinking fast in America and he has lost alot of political capital and can't afford to waste more on Israel. March 2010 are elections to Congress & the Democrats are expecting to loose seats and they want their man controlled to limit damage. 2011 is an election year when traditionally the president becomes a lame duck and concentrates on the 2012 elections. In theory Bibi can carry on as PM beyond the 2012 US election allowing him to potentially outlast Obama although even if that doesn't happen having an election in Israel in itself can cause enough disruption to spoil any of Obamas plans as backroom deals need to be done to form coalitions even Livni would have a hard time getting a leftist coalition. The closer we get to 2012 the more Obama is going to start taking Israels side & caving in on issues important to the palestinians because jewish votes will be his priority not his arab friends.

Your post could not have been better said!

Oh Petra, the Jewish people very much cares what the world thinks. To be honest, I think it cares too much: indeed, this concern is there in the very name of the Anti Defamation League, not to mention in its practices. Here too external impressions are all the problem: why would Bibi worry about what he looks like in the eyes of others so much, and fear that he may look like a sucker?

Well of course reputation is more important than, you know, the lives of ordinary people. A truly southern Mediterranean attitude. Go ahead Bibi. You're not a sucker, and the world won't ever think you're a sucker. But they will think something entirely different, perhaps best phrased in the immortal words of Chaim Witz: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkO5S_fFb2A Cheers, JD.

...of course Bibi knows this. And he also knows that by proclaiming otherwise he is not acting in a positive diplomatic way towards peace, he is making peace impossible. But we already knew that.

is not as strong as he seems.he is subject to doubts.he looks to his father ben zion(bless him) to keep him from forgetting what he should be doing.

try being courteous and speak rather more softly. we will not withdrew from judea and smaria because it is above all jewish land.that is our belief . your screaming language will not change anyone's mind.

"We have proven time and again that we are willing to make compromises for peace..." To those who know the situation, this is an obscene comment. But that's Bibi, Israel.

not being a sucker means: Doing what is right and necessary, even if it does not please everyone in the settlers' camp. A sustainable, balanced peace agreement will have to make sure neither Israelis nor Palestinians end up feeling like disadvantaged "suckers".

where was the world when they knew 6,000,000 Jews were eliminated in Europe's furnaces? Frankly, the world isn't the subject, the survival of the Jewish people is. Try and stay on track. Adult ADD?

Israel is in better hands than ever before. Israel for Israeli's, imagine such a notion. Bibi's learned much and makes his position clear. LOVE THIS GUY! Best news repeated for the holiday He means it, he must be sincere thank G-d.

It means returning land that you conquered in defensive wars, only to find out your partner still wants war, and not 2 states for 2 people. It means you are naive enough to believe that giving up land will bring peace and not rockets and bullets.

There is no such thing as unilateral peace. Think about it whne you talk about freeze.

giving back occupied land is not being a sucker. giving back occupied lands does not mean jews don't have a right to their state. what kind of BS is this ?

A sucker is someone who has a chance of attaining peace but who doesn't do it because of some ridiculous Zionist land worship. If giving up East Jerusalem is what it takes for us to have peace, then do it. The Palestenians deserve normal lives too.

....when it comes to "actions on the ground" the record is unfortunately a little bit less "flowery".

Since it it now clear that Israel can not trust anything Obama says or is associated with (America is coming to the same conslusion), there will be no Israeli "risks for peace" until after he is voted out of office in 2012. Obama has blown his credibility as far as 96% of Israeli Jews are concerned (recent poll). He now has no traction to do anything involving Israel, or to stop Israel from acting in its own interests. But UN does, you say? But EU does, you say? They have neither the means, the will nor the balls. Look at history.

Isn't that a back-handed admission that Israelis have been happy to inflict and accept conflict until now?

Which Bibi is talking now? Freeze, go-ahead w/ construction then freeze...this is not statemanship. Likud platform based on settlements is so out of touch... The world is watching closer than ever before... make peace now and it starts with the freeze.

The hard part in making peace will be to deflate the national ego which was blown up by religious and national zealotry. Annexing land was always illegal, but Israelis persuaded themself it was their God given right. Wrong. Menachem Begin and Ariel Sharon realized land would have to be returned, and the continuuing process of building settlements is in fact against Israel's interest and the flow of history. True, the Arabs collectively have behaved like mad barbarians, refusing to accept Israel's existence, and when beaten in war always hark back to the previous status quo. Time for both sides to climb down off their limbs and start to relate to reality. Either peace or continued war or bloodshed. Bibi, be a mensch and admit you were wrong and start steering the country towards peace and comprimise. Or leave it to your successor. You can't move foward on stolen land.

There is just a need to be for truth, justice and peace. Sometimes sacrifices are necessary, and astute leadership can recognize such a need and help the people understand that. With Palestinians in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza outnumbering Jewish Israelis and with another 3.0 million Palestinians in Jordan, Israel rules tenaciously with high tech weaponry. The Palestinian children have endured and have memories of IDF and settler abuses. They will be leaders of a new, ever-growing generation that will have little commitment to a stable Israel. The future of Israel is tied to assisting the Palestinian nation evolve into an economically prosperous and free state. Israeli investment in the Palestinian people, their businesses, educations and government is a sure way of assuring peace for Israel. Settlers and their demands for further exploitation of Palestine detract from the potential for peace.

a tootsie roll pop? no one really knows.... Becuase they take two licks then bite straight to the center...