Benyamin Netanyahus speech today that was supposed to outline his "peace" policy. To an extent Obamas pressure seems to have worked. The israeli prime minister for the first time used the words " Palestinians" and "state" in one sentence. But that his pretty much it.

A state for the Palestinians would have to :

1. Grant control of ALL of Jerusalem to Israel

2. Accept israeli control over its airspace and borders.

3. Accept the presence of the israeli settlements that will remain under israeli control. ( he made the concession that no new ones would be built, but insisted not only that the older settlements would have to stay but also that they must be allowed to be enlarged.

4. Must accept to be completely demilitarised under israeli control.

5. Must officially recognize Israel as the state for the jewish people. ( no mentioning of Israels arab citizens).

Since even the most moderate palestinian leader will under no circumstances accept all these premises, Netanyahus offer for negotiations will end up meaningless. ( and that is probably his goal)


http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1092710.html

Leave it to Netanyahu to ensure that anything that he proposes won't ever work.

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"Jesus said: I have cast fire upon the world, and behold I guard it until it is ablaze."
Gospel of Thomas

Netanyahus: I'm not finished. Before we let you leave, your commander must cross that field, present himself before this army, put his head between his legs, and kiss his own ass.

What I find interesting is this excerpt from your link (Ha'aretz):

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called on Palestinian leaders to restart Middle East peace negotiations without preconditions, in a highly anticipated foreign policy address at Bar Ilan University.

(emphasis added)

Except he includes preconditions in his speech. Did anyone else find this bizarre? Not to mention that some of these preconditions seem to be non-starters vis-a-vis the Palestinians.

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Great line from Braveheart.

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Netanyahu made two things perfectly clear;

1) Israel will not share Palestinian with the native Arab populations.

2) Israel will not tolerate a viable Palestinian state on its borders.

Further, his comments about expansion of the "current" Israeli settlements on the West Bank make it pretty clear that he regards the West Bank as irrevocably a part of the Israeli nation. The only thing open to question or negotiation is how long the Israelis will continue to allow some Arabic peoples to live there.

I would not be surprised to see a war in the region very soon. It would be the easiest way for Israel to achieve its territorial ambitions, and they apparently believe that it would be best (for Israel) to get this done before Iran becomes a nuclear power.

How dare the recognized leader of a country put the safety and prosperity of his own people above all others.

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January 21, 2013: The End of an ERROR.

"Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become more corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters."
"When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic."
"The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself."
---Benjamin Franklin

I don't think it's a matter of outrage about how "dare" he do something like that. It's probably more a case of laughter.

What Netanyahu is doing here is to make sure that negotiations won´t work and that may keep his coalition in governement together but it is certainly not putting the safety of his own people first. In this case he would have to start dismantling settlements........

If Netanyahu REALLY " put the safety and prosperity of his own people above all others," he would trying to find a way to make a lasting accommodation with the Arabs, rather than putting obstacles in the way of a permanent peace. How long do you suppose that a Jewish state can survive under the present conditions of hostility? A century? A little more? A little less?

it sounds to me like Netanyahu is going through the motions with a peace offer to get Obama off his ass but offering a deal which is not viable.

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"I am no Martin Luther King or Ghandi motherfucker. I have no idea what those guys were talking about. You spit on my ass, I will knock you out. No motherfucking marching and singing in the street for me." - Jim Brown, NFL Hall-of-Famer and Cleveland Browns running back, 1957-1965

During a meeting with Hillary Clinton israeli foreign minister Lieberman made clear that Israel does not intend to make any concessions in the settlement question ( he insists that they will stay and will grow ( on palestinian land)) but nevertheless claimed that his governement is open to peace. A position that is contradictory in itself.......

Lieberman to Clinton: Israel won't freeze settlements - Haaretz - Israel News

Netanyahu apparently continues to defy Obama over the settlement issue. His governement has just approved the enlargement of one settlement on the West Bank...........


France 24 | Israel approves 50 new housing units in West Bank settlement | France 24

In your perfect world, what would satisfy all of you who feel Israel is illegitimate?

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Democrats, finding new ways to destroy wealth for over 100 years.

Who said that Israel is illetigimate ?