Netahyahu has just made a speech conceding to the theoretical possibility of a future Palestinian state. He then refused to back down on a key issue that will hinder a two-state solution from becoming real by refusing to stop Israel’s expansion of illegal Jewish settlements on Palestinian land.
Netanyahu also stated his demand for Israel to control all of Jeruselum, despite the fact that the road-map for peace originally agreed to by Israel and Palestinians left Jeruselum an international city.
Netanyahu also stated that Palestinians must recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, signaling that he has no intention of allowing Palestinians to return to their homes lost inside Israel.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who brokered the landmark 1979 treaty between Egypt and Israel, criticized key points in the speech — Netanyahu’s intention to keep all of Jerusalem and his demand for recognition of Israel as a Jewish state. Carter reserved his harshest words for settlements. “If Israeli continues to expand the settlements,” he said, “then the prospects for peace will be greatly diminished, if not made almost impossible.”
Netanyahu currently has a coalition government in Israel. Israel’s government works by having a number of seats (120), and each seat gets to pick who they want to support as Prime Minister of Israel. Currently, Israel’s government is filled with hard-right nationalists and fascists, and it is these seats (65 of the 120) that Netanyahu built his coalition government on. If Netayahu does anythign that the people holding these seats don’t like, they can withdraw their support, and if the support drops far enough, a contender can call for a vote of confidence, possibly causing Netanyahu to lose his job as Prime Minister.
Suffice it to say, Netanyahu’s power is from the most radical, right-wing nationalistic and fascist elements in Israel, and he must appease them or lose power. There are more moderate elements in Israel, and in the government, but with the current coalition government built the way it is, there is no way that America or anyone else in the world can reasonably expect Netanyahu to voluntarily make peace with the Palestinians. Israel, and Netayahu, will have to be dragged kicking and screaming to make peace with the Palestinians.
And if Obama doesn’t start dragging, then there is no hope for any peace while Obama is still in office.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090615/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians
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