Israel PM answers critic over two-state solution

JERUSALEM, Israel – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, June 9, reiterated his commitment to a Palestinian state, after his deputy defense minister said the government would not support a two-state solution.

Speaking at the opening of the weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu – who in 2009 declared his support of a two-state solution – said he and US Secretary of State John Kerry will “try to make progress to find the opening for negotiations with the Palestinians, with the goal of reaching an agreement.”

“This agreement will be based on a demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes the Jewish state, and on firm security arrangements based on the IDF (Israeli military),” he said.

His remarks came just days after Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon, a member of Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party, rejected the notion that the government was serious about reaching a peace agreement that would lead to the formation of a Palestinian state.

“There was never a government discussion, resolution, or vote about the two-state solution,” Danon said in an interview with The Times of Israel news website on Thursday, June 6.

If it were put to a vote, “the majority of Likud ministers, along with Jewish Home will be against it,” he said, referring to a far-right nationalist faction within the government.

“Today, we are not fighting it, but if there will be a move to promote a two-state solution, you will see forces blocking it within the party and the government,” he said.

“Today there is no partner, no negotiations, so it’s a discussion. It’s more of an academic discussion,” he said, adding that Netanyahu “knows that in the near future it’s not possible” to create a Palestinian state.

Although Netanyahu made no direct mention of Danon’s remarks, which made headlines in the press on Sunday, he stressed the need for unity within his cabinet.

“In order to face these challenges and many others, the government has to function as one unit,” he said.

The Palestinians expressed little surprise at Danon’s remarks.

“What the Israeli government is doing affirms these statements, and that it is trying to do whatever it can to prevent us from reaching an independent Palestinian state,” senior Palestinian official Yasser Abed Rabbo told Voice of Palestine radio.

“No one in the current Israeli government wants the establishment of a Palestinian state, on the contrary, all members of the coalition try to prevent this through practices on ground,” he charged.

“Kerry does not have all the time in the world, and I believe he also wants to see results,” he said.

“Unfortunately, there is no evidence there have been any changes or developments in the Israeli positions that might lead to the resumption of the negotiations.”

Kerry, who last week warned time was running out for a possible peace deal, is due in the region this week for his fifth visit since taking office in February in a bid to revive direct peace talks after a nearly 3-year hiatus.

Palestinians say they will resume negotiations only if Israel stops building on land it wants for a future state and if the Jewish state agrees to negotiate on the basis of the pre-1967 lines.

Israel demands talks “without preconditions” and refuses publicly to freeze settlement building.

Yitzhak Herzog, chairman of the opposition Labour party, slammed Danon’s remarks as causing “shocking damage” to Kerry’s diplomatic efforts.

“The time has arrived for the government to decide what its real position is on this critical issue and that it clarify it to the Israeli people and the international community,” he was quoted as saying by Maariv newspaper. – Rappler.com