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“Nothing will stop me” if Palestinians are ready
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Comprehensive peace plan is ultimate goal
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Israeli security is vital
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he would see a peace agreement through to the end. He wants the Palestinians to agree to a demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes Israel as a legitimate Jewish state and to drop the idea of the right of return.
He made the comments during an interview with Israel’s Channel 10 News.
The Palestinians have run away from negotiations and discussions are vital, he added. The direct peace talks failed when the Palestinian Authority (PA) walked out of the negotiations more than three months ago.
Netanyahu said he would not hesitate to pursue an agreement if the PA agrees to these two points, and that most people would support him.
Jerusalem and the status of refugees are two questions that are difficult to negotiate, he added.
Netanyahu also highlighted that Israel’s security is vital, particularly regarding Iran-backed Hamas’ indiscriminate attacks on Israeli civilians.
Hamas said it has carried out 1,115 major operations against Israel, according to its military wing spokesman Abu Obeida. Hamas also claimed responsibility for a series of attacks between 2005 and 2010 that killed 15 Israeli soldiers and injured 47.
They included a 2008 attack on a Jewish yeshiva (Talmudic college) in Jerusalem in which eight students died and some 30 were injured.
There has also been an increase in terrorist activity along Israel’s border with Gaza. Gunmen have repeatedly opened fire and tried to detonate explosives near the border over the past month.
Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005 in the hope that it would lead to a peace deal and the successful implementation of a two-state solution.
Netanyahu also said there must be an Israeli security presence on the Jordan River, which forms the natural border between the West Bank and Jordan.
Israel wants to prevent Islamist extremists from infiltrating the West Bank and attacking Israel.
A comprehensive peace agreement is the ultimate goal of negotiations, however the premier would not rule out an interim agreement.
In a democratic state ministers are entitled to have their own views, Netanyahu said in response to comments made on Sunday by Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. The minister made statements that are contrary to official government policy, including the promotion of a long-range interim agreement rather than a permanent agreement with the PA.
