Israel Matzav

Netanyahu prepares to give away the store

For those who remember the Why, Why, Wye agreement, it's happening again. Our Prime Minister is already preparing us for his accepting an agreement that 'no one' will like.

Netanyahu told the Likud MKs that there will be elements inside the American declaration of principles that Israel will not like, and there will be elements that the Palestinians will not like.

Government officials said that if this particular track toward extending the negotiations beyond the late April deadline bears fruit, then both Israel and the Palestinians are expected to say that the positions reflected in the document are American positions – not necessarily ones they accept – but that they will continue to negotiate based on the American document.

Among the issues expected to be difficult for Israel to swallow is a declaration that the endgame is a Palestinian state based on the 1967 lines, with minor land swaps. And among the bitter pills for the Palestinians is expected to be a formula recognizing Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people, and making clear that the Palestinian refugees are to be absorbed in the future Palestinian state.

Netanyahu told the MKs he was using his meetings with Kerry to persuade him that Israel must maintain settlement blocs and areas of national and strategic importance, and that he was succeeding in persuading Kerry to accept many of Israel’s positions.

“There is an understanding about Israel’s need to keep settlement blocs and areas of historical significance like Hebron and Beit El,” sources close to Netanyahu quoted him as saying following the closed-door meeting.

Right-wing MKs received an impression from Netanyahu that he had no problem giving up uninhabited land and was ready to give up settlements that are not in blocs or nationally or strategically important.

Following questioning by MKs Tzipi Hotovely and Moshe Feiglin, Netanyahu said he disagreed with them about annexation in the West Bank.

“I know there are some of you who favor annexing land together with the Palestinians, but I don’t want to control 1.5-2 million Palestinians and neither do most Israelis,” he said, according to sources close to him who were in the meeting.

Netanyahu said that neither a binational state nor a situation where the Palestinians do not have full rights were acceptable.

He said a solution was needed, and that the current negotiations were aimed at trying to find that solution.

 What could go wrong?

Labels: Abu Mazen, Binyamin Netanyahu, gestures, John Kerry, Middle East peace process, Palestinian refugees, Palestinian state RIGHT NOW syndrome, unilateral concessions

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:30 AM