European Forum

Netanyahu accepts Palestinian “state”, yet sets his own conditions

On Sunday 15 June, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded in a political statement on television to uncommon pressure from Washington by finally giving his backing –with rigid conditions- to the establishment of a Palestinian “state”. The speech is widely seen as an attempt to defuse the growing rift between Israel and the U.S and comes after Obama's address to the Arab world 10 days ago.

While this was the first time Netanyahu openly accepted a Palestinian state after having refused to create such a state since he has come in office in March, the Prime Minister has set his own terms. He stated that prior to the creation of the new state Israel should receive international guarantees that the Palestinian state would have no army. Moreover, he underscored that the Palestinians should recognise Israel as the “national state of the Jewish people” –something that just recently was called unacceptable by the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Netanyahu did not mention Obama’s demand to stop all expansion of the settlements that are home to some half a million Jews in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. He nevertheless repeated his agreement not to build more settlements but indicated he still wanted to allow what is called "natural growth" of existing ones. He also said that there would be no place for Palestinian refugees in Israel.

International response
President Barack Obama called Netanyahu's shift in position on Palestinian statehood as an "important step forward". "The U.S. president is committed to two states, a Jewish state of Israel and an independent Palestine, in the historic homeland of both peoples," the White House said. The last couple of weeks Obama pushed Israel to come up with a resolution for the conflict with the Palestinians.

The European Union stated on Monday that Natanyahu’s acceptance of the creation of the Palestinian state is a “good step forward”. Jan Kohout, minister of Foreign Affairs of current EU presidency the Czech Republic, stated that Netanyahu’s pronouncement still need to be further analysed but the “acceptance of a Palestinian state is a fact”. Later today (Monday 15 June) Kohout and other EU ministers will meet with their Israelian counterpart, ultra-national Avigdor Lieberman, for an "Association Council" meeting, while European foreign ministers are to discuss whether to move ahead with the upgrade in relations. Both the EU and the U.S. have put pressure on Mr Netanyahu to accept the idea of an independent Palestinian state and halt the expansion of settlements on the West Bank. It remains to be seen whether Mr Netanyahu's words are sufficient to satisfy the U.S and the EU.

The Palestinians pronounced their dissatisfaction with Netanyahu´s statement. Aides to the Palestinian President were denouncing the speech as "sabotaging" negotiations by restating Israel's refusal to share the city of Jerusalem or accept the return of Palestinian refugees. “World powers should isolate Israeli PM Netanyahu after he unveiled tough terms for a Middle East peace accord,” an aide to Mr Abbas said today. Abbas adviser Yasser Abed Rabbo told reporters, that "the international community must isolate and confront this policy through which Netanyahu wants to kill off any chance for peace, and exert pressure on him so that he adheres to international legitimacy and the road map," referring to a U.S.-sponsored 2003 peace plan. Mr Abbas himself stated that “Mr Netanyahu’s speech will not bring any solution, nor a complete and justified peace resolution”,

 


Sources: Reuters; Euronews; EUObserver; Volkskrant; NRC; RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty (image)