Tag Archives: Palestinian State

Featured, Foreign Policy, International, Politics, US

Obama Takes Netanyahu ‘at his word’ In His Promise To Prevent Palestinian Statehood

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On Friday, President Obama addressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s promise to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian State in his attempt to garner support for a fourth term as Prime Minister.

In an interview with the Huffington Post, Obama said he took Netanyahu “at his word” when he said that a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine would not be reached under his watch.

“We’re going to make sure, regardless of disagreements we have on policy, that our military and intelligence cooperation to keep the Israeli people safe continues and that cooperation also helps the American people stay safe,” Obama said. “But we are going to continue to insist that, from our point of view, the status quo is unsustainable. And that while taking into complete account Israel’s security, we can’t just in perpetuity maintain the status quo, expand settlements. That’s not a recipe for stability in the region.”

Reuters reported that despite the “the urgency of renewed, structured and substantial efforts towards peace” expressed by the European Union, the United States will not speak at the annual United Nations debate on Israeli violations in Palestinian territories on Monday.

During an interview with Israeli news website NRG last week, Netanyahu promised that if re-elected as Israeli Prime Minister he would prevent the establishment of a Palestinian State in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza.

“I think anyone who is going to establish a Palestinian state and to evacuate territory is giving radical Islam a staging ground against the State of Israel,” Netanyahu said.

With opinion polls prior to the election showing Netanyahu’s Likud falling behind Isaac Herzog’s Zionist Union, he urged citizens to vote, claiming that the right-wing government is in danger, due to the fact that “Arab voters are coming out in droves to the polls,” and “Left-wing organizations are busing them out.”

Netanyahu won in a narrow victory on Wednesday with his Likud party winning 30 seats and surpassing Herzog’s Zionist Union, which won 24 seats.

Obama told the Huffington Post that when he called Netanyahu on Thursday to congratulate him on the Likud party’s victory, he said that given Netanyahu’s statement prior to the election, “it is going to be hard to find a path where people are seriously believing that negotiations are possible.”

“We indicated that that kind of rhetoric was contrary to what is the best of Israel’s traditions,” Obama said. “That although Israel was founded based on the historic Jewish homeland and the need to have a Jewish homeland, Israeli democracy has been premised on everybody in the country being treated equally and fairly.”

International, Politics

If Re-Elected, Netanyahu Promises to Prevent Establishment of a Palestinian State

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As he entered the final day of campaigning before Tuesday’s election, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attempted to garner support by promising that if re-elected, there would be no establishment of a Palestinian State in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza.

The Associated Press reported that after six years as prime minister and as the “most dominant personality in Israeli politics,” Netanyahu’s standing has fallen in recent weeks.

According to Reuters, opinion polls predict that Isaac Herzog’s Zionist Union will take 24 to 26 seats in the 120-member parliament, while Netanyahu’s Likud will only take 20 to 22.

In an interview with Israeli news website NRG, Netanyahu was asked about his stance on creating a Palestinian State. In his response, which was translated to English by the Times of Israel, he claimed that the establishment of such a state would only lead to radical Islamic attacks on Israel.

“I think anyone who is going to establish a Palestinian state and to evacuate territory is giving radical Islam a staging ground against the State of Israel,” Netanyahu said.

The New York Times noted that Netanyahu’s statement was contrary to his endorsement of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in 2009, during a speech at Bar Ilan University, and that the change  “fulfilled many world leaders’ suspicions that he was never really serious about peace negotiations.”

According to Haaretz, Netanyahu has done more campaigning in the Israeli press this election season than in the last six years, and in his latest appearances, he appears to be “under pressure, nervous, tired and confused.”

The Associated Press reported that in contrast to Netanyahu, Herzog has vowed to “revive peace efforts with the Palestinians, repair ties with the U.S. and reduce the growing gaps between rich and poor.”

Reuters noted that both Herzog and his former running mate Tzipi Livni, have accused Netanyahu of “playing up fears over the Palestinians and Iran’s nuclear program to distract voters from the high cost of living and other social issues.”

International, Politics

Sweden Recognizes Palestinian State, Draws Criticism from Israel

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On Thursday, Sweden became the largest country in Western Europe to recognize a Palestinian state. This decision received strong criticism from Israel, which responded by promptly withdrawing its ambassador from Stockholm.

Sweden’s Foreign Minister, Margot Wallstrom, insisted that the Palestinians have met all of the necessary standards for recognition, saying that they have “a territory, a people and government.”

The Associated Press reported that Sweden’s choice “reflects growing international impatience with Israel’s nearly half-century control of the West Bank, east Jerusalem and its blockade of the Gaza Strip.”

In addition to withdrawing their ambassador from Sweden, Israel’s Foreign Minister, Avidor Lieberman, defined Sweden’s declaration as “a miserable decision that strengthens the extremist elements and Palestinian rejectionism.”

“The Swedish government must understand that relations in the Middle East are more complex than one of Ikea’s flat-pack pieces of furniture, and would do well to act with greater sensitivity and responsibility,” Lieberman said.

According to the New York Times, Sweden’s decision to recognize Palestine was made by the country’s new prime minister, Stefan Lofven, who “ignored Israeli protests and followed through on a pledge he made at his inauguration this month.”

A Senior Palestinian official, Hanan Ashrawi, said that Sweden had made a “principled and courageous decision.”

On behalf of the Palestinians, Ashrawi said they hope both other members of the European Union, and other countries around the world, “will follow Sweden’s lead and recognize Palestine before the chances for a two-state solution are destroyed indefinitely.”

According to the Associated Press, although Israel claims, “Palestinians can gain independence only through peace negotiations, and that recognition of Palestine at the U.N. or by individual countries undermines the negotiating process,” Palestinians say that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “isn’t serious about the peace negotiations.”

As previously reported, Sweden’s declaration to recognize a Palestinian state follows the same decision made earlier in October by members of Britain’s Parliament.

The Swedish Foreign Ministry took to its Twitter account to announce the decision with a Tweet that said the Swedish government “expressed hopes for peaceful coexistence” between Israel and Palestine.

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