Israel Matzav

Netanyahu tells Goldberg he'd consider unilateral steps in Judea and Samaria

Prime Minister Netanyahu told journalist Jeffrey Goldberg in an interview this week that he is considering unilateral steps in Judea and Samaria. But not the ones Goldberg would like.

“We want a demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes the Jewish state,” Netanyahu said. “How do you get that if you can’t get it through negotiations? It’s true that the idea of taking unilateral steps is gaining ground, from the center-left to the center-right. Many Israelis are asking themselves if there are certain unilateral steps that could theoretically make sense.”

But he was quick to add that Israelis -- himself included -- don’t want a repeat of their Gaza experience. In 2005, then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon unilaterally withdrew Israeli soldiers and settlers from Gaza; it was soon taken over by the radical Islamist group Hamas, which has since used the territory to launch rockets at Israeli civilian targets.

Nevertheless, Netanyahu said that something must be done to prevent the collapse of Israel as a Jewish-majority democratic nation. “We don’t want a binational state, and we don’t want a Palestinian-Iranian state next door,” he said. “There is an emerging consensus that we don’t have a partner who can challenge constituencies, do something unpopular, do something that is difficult. Abbas has not done anything to challenge the prevailing Palestinian consensus."

And Netanyahu still doesn't get that the best thing we can do right now to prevent the collapse of Israel as a Jewish-majority democratic nation is nothing. Or perhaps he does get it but cannot say it to the likes of Tzipi Livni.

Goldberg also tries to set up his own straw man claiming that the burden is on Netanyahu to show flexibility.

I asked Netanyahu why he simply doesn’t bypass the current impasse and declare an indefinite settlement freeze, particularly in areas outside the thickly settled suburbs of Jerusalem and communities near Tel Aviv. Right now, the burden is on Netanyahu to prove that he is interested in compromise. Such a move -- while politically difficult -- would shift the onus onto Abbas and restore some of Israel’s international standing.

“I don’t think it would work. Having tried once, I saw that it doesn’t work,” he said, referring to the time-limited settlement freeze during Obama's first term. “The Americans said the only way Abbas is going to come into negotiations is either you release prisoners or freeze settlements: Choose. We chose [to release prisoners]. We made it very clear to the U.S. and to the Palestinians exactly how much we would build, including in Jerusalem. We built exactly what we said we would build in every one of the tranches. It wasn’t that we surprised anyone with extra construction."

There's another reason Netanyahu won't do it: He wouldn't have a government left.

But there's another reason Netanyahu won't do it: Even if he did, Abu Mazen is simply incapable of making compromises for peace.

“No matter what the spin is about blaming Israel, do we actually expect Abbas, who seems to be embracing Hamas, to give a negotiated deal? In all likelihood, no. I hope he does, but I’m not sure he’s going to do it,” Netanyahu said.

“There is an emerging consensus that we don’t have a partner who can challenge constituencies, do something unpopular, do something that is difficult. Abbas has not done anything to challenge the prevailing Palestinian consensus. In fact, he’s doing the opposite: the Hamas reconciliation, internationalizing the conflict, not giving one iota on the right of return, not giving an iota on the Jewish state. He wouldn’t deal with Kerry’s framework,” Netanyahu said.

Now, if only Netanyahu could challenge his constituencies, think out of the box and bring the disastrous 'Oslo process' to an end. 

Labels: Abu Mazen, Barack Hussein Obama, Binyamin Netanyahu, demography, Hamas-Fatah reconciliation, Jeffrey Goldberg, Middle East peace process, Palestinian terrorists, Tzipi Livni, unilateral withdrawal

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 5:28 PM