28 june 2015
Foreign Minister of New Zealand Murray McCully has said that his country will use its leadership role in the United Nations Security Council to push for direct talks between Israel and Palestine in the coming months.
The diplomat, who is bound to take up the Security Council presidency later this week, said in the interview with NZ’s TV3:
“I think what they’re (Israel) really allergic to is the idea that the Security Council might start the process by imposing a whole lot of conditions, conditions in their view that would favor the other side,” McCully said.
“I think they’re less allergic to the notion that the Security Council might try and bring the two parties together, and that’s the sort of thing that we’ve got in mind.”
McCully said he believed the Israelis and Palestinians were close together on most issues, and that direct negotiations are needed in order to reach a final agreement, i24News reports.
McCully, who visited the region in early June, criticized the role of the US in peace talks as “not sufficient,” saying the international community should be more actively involved in the process.
“We need to have the rest of the international community playing its role,” he said.
The relatively good relations between Israel and New Zealand hit a stumbling block last year when Jerusalem was angry that Wellington’s ambassador-designate Jonathan Curr was to serve as ambassador to both Israel and the Palestinian Authority and refused to accredit him.
The diplomat, who is bound to take up the Security Council presidency later this week, said in the interview with NZ’s TV3:
“I think what they’re (Israel) really allergic to is the idea that the Security Council might start the process by imposing a whole lot of conditions, conditions in their view that would favor the other side,” McCully said.
“I think they’re less allergic to the notion that the Security Council might try and bring the two parties together, and that’s the sort of thing that we’ve got in mind.”
McCully said he believed the Israelis and Palestinians were close together on most issues, and that direct negotiations are needed in order to reach a final agreement, i24News reports.
McCully, who visited the region in early June, criticized the role of the US in peace talks as “not sufficient,” saying the international community should be more actively involved in the process.
“We need to have the rest of the international community playing its role,” he said.
The relatively good relations between Israel and New Zealand hit a stumbling block last year when Jerusalem was angry that Wellington’s ambassador-designate Jonathan Curr was to serve as ambassador to both Israel and the Palestinian Authority and refused to accredit him.
26 june 2015
UN General-Secretary Ban Ki-Moon is said to be following the case of the Freedom Flotilla III closely, and he believes that sending the fleet 'will not help to address the dire situation in Gaza'
The Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon called on the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to translate his words into action regarding his commitment to a two-state solution.
The United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, said in a speech before the Security Council on Wednesday, that the secretary-general welcomes Netanyahu's commitment to a two-state solution, but he emphasises the need to translate words into action, and accordingly, to halt the Israeli settlement plans in the West Bank.
Feltman said that Ban has requested Israel, in the framework of strengthening trust, secure the "the legitimate movement of people and goods in and between Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem."
He noted that the situation of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails is worrying, adding that the Israeli draft resolution aimed at force feeding detainees on hunger strike, if passed, could be "in contravention of international standards."
Last Sunday, the Israeli government approved, on a preliminary basis, a bill which authorises prison administrations to force feed prisoners on hunger strike, according to local Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.
Regarding Freedom Flotilla III, Feltman said that Ban is following the case closely, and he believes that sending the fleet "will not help to address the dire situation in Gaza." But he reiterated his calls on the Israeli government to lift the blockade that has been imposed on Gaza since 2007.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon called on the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to translate his words into action regarding his commitment to a two-state solution.
The United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, said in a speech before the Security Council on Wednesday, that the secretary-general welcomes Netanyahu's commitment to a two-state solution, but he emphasises the need to translate words into action, and accordingly, to halt the Israeli settlement plans in the West Bank.
Feltman said that Ban has requested Israel, in the framework of strengthening trust, secure the "the legitimate movement of people and goods in and between Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem."
He noted that the situation of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails is worrying, adding that the Israeli draft resolution aimed at force feeding detainees on hunger strike, if passed, could be "in contravention of international standards."
Last Sunday, the Israeli government approved, on a preliminary basis, a bill which authorises prison administrations to force feed prisoners on hunger strike, according to local Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.
Regarding Freedom Flotilla III, Feltman said that Ban is following the case closely, and he believes that sending the fleet "will not help to address the dire situation in Gaza." But he reiterated his calls on the Israeli government to lift the blockade that has been imposed on Gaza since 2007.
Deputy Secretary General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Abu Ahmad Fuad, expressed on Thursday his firm rebuff of the French peace initiative, dubbing it a barefaced infringement of Palestinians’ inalienable rights.
Abu Ahmad Fuad said in a press statement the French peace initiative, which was welcomed by the Palestinian Authority, is just unacceptable and stands in sharp contrast to the Palestinian national constants, including the right of return and the establishment of a Palestinian independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.
He branded the French-brokered initiative "dangerous", urging the Palestinian resistance factions to officially voice their rejection of the proposal.
Abu Ahmad Fuad said in a press statement the French peace initiative, which was welcomed by the Palestinian Authority, is just unacceptable and stands in sharp contrast to the Palestinian national constants, including the right of return and the establishment of a Palestinian independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.
He branded the French-brokered initiative "dangerous", urging the Palestinian resistance factions to officially voice their rejection of the proposal.
22 june 2015
President Mahmoud Abbas has welcomed the ‘ideas’ brought on by the French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius aimed at rebooting the peace talks, WAFA news agency reports Monday.
Abbas met with the FM in Jerusalem Sunday in a push to revive the negotiations. Fabius proposed to promote a United Nations Security Council resolution attempting to resolve the conflict.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the French proposal, saying that the initiative was ‘international dictates’ [that would hurt Israel’s security], WAFA reports.
Newspapers quoted Fabius warning about a regional ‘volatile situation’ and an ‘outbreak of violence’ and affirming the need for a UN Security Council resolution.
Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely was reported in al-Ayyam newspaper as slamming the French initiative as ‘counterproductive’.
“We are committed to ideas that will launch the peace process” Abbas was quoted as saying by the Ma’an news agency.
Fabius’ visit comes after the collapse of negotiations between the executive committee of the PA on creating a new unity government.
According to Al-Resalah news outlet, Fabius visited Cairo the day before where he had warned against Israel’s continued settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian lands, saying “the prospect of a solution to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians will recede if Israel continues illegal land grab in the occupied Palestinian territories.’
Abbas met with the FM in Jerusalem Sunday in a push to revive the negotiations. Fabius proposed to promote a United Nations Security Council resolution attempting to resolve the conflict.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the French proposal, saying that the initiative was ‘international dictates’ [that would hurt Israel’s security], WAFA reports.
Newspapers quoted Fabius warning about a regional ‘volatile situation’ and an ‘outbreak of violence’ and affirming the need for a UN Security Council resolution.
Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely was reported in al-Ayyam newspaper as slamming the French initiative as ‘counterproductive’.
“We are committed to ideas that will launch the peace process” Abbas was quoted as saying by the Ma’an news agency.
Fabius’ visit comes after the collapse of negotiations between the executive committee of the PA on creating a new unity government.
According to Al-Resalah news outlet, Fabius visited Cairo the day before where he had warned against Israel’s continued settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian lands, saying “the prospect of a solution to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians will recede if Israel continues illegal land grab in the occupied Palestinian territories.’
21 june 2015
Ahead of meeting with French FM Fabius, in the region to propose peace initiative, prime minister says way to reach agreement with Palestinians is only through negotiations.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he will "fiercely reject" any attempts to impose "international dictates" on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, on a two-day visit to the Middle East, was due to meet Palestinian leaders in the West Bank before seeing Netanyahu later in the day.
France has said it will propose a resolution in the United Nations Security Council with a framework for negotiations toward resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, providing backing to the talks by Arab leaders, the European Union and UN Security Council members.
"The way to reach an agreement is only through negotiations and we will fiercely reject attempts to impose international dictates," he told his weekly cabinet meeting.
Netanyahu said that attacks against Israelis will continue with any international proposal that does not take Israel's security concerns into account.
"They are trying to shunt us toward indefensible borders, ignoring what will happen on the other side," Netanyahu said.
Early Sunday, a Palestinian assailant stabbed and critically wounded an Israeli policeman in Jerusalem's Old City. The policeman shot the attacker, critically wounding him, before collapsing and being rushed to a hospital. On Friday, a Palestinian shot an Israeli hiker to death in the West Bank. Fabius is coming to the region to sound out leaders about a planned Security Council resolution that aims to restart peace talks after a more than year-long lull.
Palestinian officials and French diplomats have said the proposal would call for basing the borders between Israel and a future Palestinian state on the lines that existed before Israel captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip in the 1967 Six-Day War.
It also would set a two-year deadline for an agreement. Israel rejects a return to its pre-1967 lines, saying they are indefensible. It also opposes deadlines. Two decades of talks brokered mainly by the United States have failed to produce a two-state solution. The latest peace push, led by US Secretary of State John Kerry, fell short in April 2014 after nine months of tense negotiations and the gaps between Israeli and Palestinian positions remain vast.
Earlier this month, US President Barack Obama said the absence of a peace process and conditions raised by Netanyahu on Palestinian statehood would make it hard for the United States to continue to defend Israel at the United Nations.
The Palestinians have sounded circumspect on Paris' moves.
"We want the decision to include an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital, and a timetable for negotiations and implementation," President Mahmoud Abbas told reporters on Tuesday.
"If the initiative contains what we need, then it will be welcome, and if it does not, then it will not be welcome and there is no need for it."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he will "fiercely reject" any attempts to impose "international dictates" on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, on a two-day visit to the Middle East, was due to meet Palestinian leaders in the West Bank before seeing Netanyahu later in the day.
France has said it will propose a resolution in the United Nations Security Council with a framework for negotiations toward resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, providing backing to the talks by Arab leaders, the European Union and UN Security Council members.
"The way to reach an agreement is only through negotiations and we will fiercely reject attempts to impose international dictates," he told his weekly cabinet meeting.
Netanyahu said that attacks against Israelis will continue with any international proposal that does not take Israel's security concerns into account.
"They are trying to shunt us toward indefensible borders, ignoring what will happen on the other side," Netanyahu said.
Early Sunday, a Palestinian assailant stabbed and critically wounded an Israeli policeman in Jerusalem's Old City. The policeman shot the attacker, critically wounding him, before collapsing and being rushed to a hospital. On Friday, a Palestinian shot an Israeli hiker to death in the West Bank. Fabius is coming to the region to sound out leaders about a planned Security Council resolution that aims to restart peace talks after a more than year-long lull.
Palestinian officials and French diplomats have said the proposal would call for basing the borders between Israel and a future Palestinian state on the lines that existed before Israel captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip in the 1967 Six-Day War.
It also would set a two-year deadline for an agreement. Israel rejects a return to its pre-1967 lines, saying they are indefensible. It also opposes deadlines. Two decades of talks brokered mainly by the United States have failed to produce a two-state solution. The latest peace push, led by US Secretary of State John Kerry, fell short in April 2014 after nine months of tense negotiations and the gaps between Israeli and Palestinian positions remain vast.
Earlier this month, US President Barack Obama said the absence of a peace process and conditions raised by Netanyahu on Palestinian statehood would make it hard for the United States to continue to defend Israel at the United Nations.
The Palestinians have sounded circumspect on Paris' moves.
"We want the decision to include an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital, and a timetable for negotiations and implementation," President Mahmoud Abbas told reporters on Tuesday.
"If the initiative contains what we need, then it will be welcome, and if it does not, then it will not be welcome and there is no need for it."
20 june 2015
French Foreign Minister: Continued Israeli settlement is a road block to peace
At the start of his Middle East tour in Cairo, Laurant Fabius offered a statement regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Fabious criticized Israel's settlement policy, saying the settlements policy is illegal under international law, and a major obstacle to peace.
He continued to say that Israel's security must be a consideration; however Palestinian rights must be recognized.
Fabious will arrive in Israel on Sunday, and is expected to push a new French imitative to restart peace talks in the region in meetings with Netanyahu and Abbas.
At the start of his Middle East tour in Cairo, Laurant Fabius offered a statement regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Fabious criticized Israel's settlement policy, saying the settlements policy is illegal under international law, and a major obstacle to peace.
He continued to say that Israel's security must be a consideration; however Palestinian rights must be recognized.
Fabious will arrive in Israel on Sunday, and is expected to push a new French imitative to restart peace talks in the region in meetings with Netanyahu and Abbas.
17 june 2015
Yisrael Beitenu chairman Avigdor Lieberman stated on Wednesday that he would reconsider joining Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's new government, if settlement construction resumed in occupied Jerusalem.
Lieberman stated that he was reconsidering joining the government if Netanyahu agreed to build one thousand new housing units in Ma'ale Adumim settlement to the east of occupied Jerusalem.
Lieberman had earlier decided to remain outside Netanyahu's 4th government due to "his inability to destroy Hamas in Gaza and to expand settlement construction in occupied Jerusalem."
The United States and the European Union have warned Netanyahu more than once of any attempt to expand Ma'ale Adumim settlement.
Lieberman stated that he was reconsidering joining the government if Netanyahu agreed to build one thousand new housing units in Ma'ale Adumim settlement to the east of occupied Jerusalem.
Lieberman had earlier decided to remain outside Netanyahu's 4th government due to "his inability to destroy Hamas in Gaza and to expand settlement construction in occupied Jerusalem."
The United States and the European Union have warned Netanyahu more than once of any attempt to expand Ma'ale Adumim settlement.
14 june 2015
By Khalid Amayreh in Occupied Palestine
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu continues to adopt brazen mendacity and dishonesty as his modus operandi vis-à-vis the rest of the world.
In fact, one would exaggerate very little by saying that Netanyahu is probably the most dishonest political figure in Israel ever since the racist Jewish entity came into being in Palestine 67 years ago.
In the past two weeks, Netanyahu made a plethora of statements voicing his desire for the resumption of the moribund peace process with the weak Palestinian Authority.
This is of course not the first time Netanyahu makes such statements.
Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders have been making all sorts of mendacious statements expressing an ostensible desire for peace with the Palestinians.
However, these statements were always proven to be utterly false, which shows that Netanyahu is not just an ordinary liar, but rather a malicious one par excellence.
Just ask any European leader who has dealt with Netanyahu how he views the Israeli premier and if he thinks he has any credibility. The answer would be a clarion "No."
Indeed, how can we possibly trust a man who voices a desire for peace with the Palestinians while doing everything in his ability to kill any remaining prospects for peace?
In fact, expecting Netanyahu to work for peace would be very much like expecting a ship to sail on land. This is because Netanyahu and peace are an eternal oxymoron.
There is no doubt that a country that has built hundreds of colonies on land that belongs to another people and transferred hundreds of thousands of its citizens to live on land that belongs not to them doesn't have genuine peace on its agenda.
This is the truth Netanyahu is trying to conceal or blur by way of making all sorts of theatrical statements especially when meeting with visiting foreign dignitaries.
Unfortunately, many or most of these dignitaries, especially from Europe and North America, lack the moral courage to tell Netanyahu "you are a liar" either explicitly or implicitly.
But Netanyahu is a big liar in his own right. What else can be said of a leader who claims to be working for peace while actually killing it with all strength and determination?
Red herrings
In his firewall of defense against growing international awareness that Netanyahu and peace contradict each other, the Israeli premier, a visionless politician who thinks a more aggressive hasbara discourse can make up for political wisdom, Netanyahu has been claiming that the international BDS (Boycott, Disinvestment, Sanctions) against Israel is actually making peace more distant.
Given Netanyahu's malicious character, I have no doubt whatsoever that the Israeli prime minister knows deep in his mind that he is lying and that the BDS campaign and other forms of protest against Israel are mere reactions to Israeli recalcitrance and criminal persecution and oppression of the largely unprotected Palestinians under Israel's military occupation.
Yes, he knows it, but, since he views malicious dishonesty as an expression of political skill and cleverness, he just goes on and on, lying and lying and lying.
The fanatics in his quarter, who are undoubtedly numerous, would rather innately hail him and praise his genius in defense of Israel. But this is a shortsighted perception, utterly devoid of wisdom.
This is because, Netanyahu's impetuousness, recklessness and recalcitrance, which also reflect the collective mindset of many Israelis, probably a majority, is what will eventually take Israel to the abyss.
But by then, it would be too late. It is very much like a heavily intoxicated driver making a fatal traffic accident under the influence of alcohol.
As a Palestinian, I am ambivalent about the course Netanyahu and his equally self-absorbed colleagues in government are taking.
And just as the proverbial drunk driver who would refuse to heed warnings against driving under the influence of alcohol, Netanyahu, Bennett, Shaked, etc., are in no mood to listen to a word of advice and reproach.
In the final analysis, megalomaniac arrogance has more or less the same influence on mental sanity. It often leads to fatal consequences.
I don't know for sure if there is still any real chance for a dignified and lasting peace in Palestine/Israel. But whatever chances there may still be are vanishing very rapidly before our eyes.
In light of the grim realities on the ground, this view should actually be considered an overly auspicious perception rather than an expression of doom and gloom because otherwise the vast majority of serious observers and experts would strongly deny the existence of any real chance for peace in this part of the word. Is it too late? I hope not.
But my hope may be proven too illusive to be realistic.
Khalid Amayreh is a veteran Palestinian journalist and current affair commentator living in Occupied Palestine
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu continues to adopt brazen mendacity and dishonesty as his modus operandi vis-à-vis the rest of the world.
In fact, one would exaggerate very little by saying that Netanyahu is probably the most dishonest political figure in Israel ever since the racist Jewish entity came into being in Palestine 67 years ago.
In the past two weeks, Netanyahu made a plethora of statements voicing his desire for the resumption of the moribund peace process with the weak Palestinian Authority.
This is of course not the first time Netanyahu makes such statements.
Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders have been making all sorts of mendacious statements expressing an ostensible desire for peace with the Palestinians.
However, these statements were always proven to be utterly false, which shows that Netanyahu is not just an ordinary liar, but rather a malicious one par excellence.
Just ask any European leader who has dealt with Netanyahu how he views the Israeli premier and if he thinks he has any credibility. The answer would be a clarion "No."
Indeed, how can we possibly trust a man who voices a desire for peace with the Palestinians while doing everything in his ability to kill any remaining prospects for peace?
In fact, expecting Netanyahu to work for peace would be very much like expecting a ship to sail on land. This is because Netanyahu and peace are an eternal oxymoron.
There is no doubt that a country that has built hundreds of colonies on land that belongs to another people and transferred hundreds of thousands of its citizens to live on land that belongs not to them doesn't have genuine peace on its agenda.
This is the truth Netanyahu is trying to conceal or blur by way of making all sorts of theatrical statements especially when meeting with visiting foreign dignitaries.
Unfortunately, many or most of these dignitaries, especially from Europe and North America, lack the moral courage to tell Netanyahu "you are a liar" either explicitly or implicitly.
But Netanyahu is a big liar in his own right. What else can be said of a leader who claims to be working for peace while actually killing it with all strength and determination?
Red herrings
In his firewall of defense against growing international awareness that Netanyahu and peace contradict each other, the Israeli premier, a visionless politician who thinks a more aggressive hasbara discourse can make up for political wisdom, Netanyahu has been claiming that the international BDS (Boycott, Disinvestment, Sanctions) against Israel is actually making peace more distant.
Given Netanyahu's malicious character, I have no doubt whatsoever that the Israeli prime minister knows deep in his mind that he is lying and that the BDS campaign and other forms of protest against Israel are mere reactions to Israeli recalcitrance and criminal persecution and oppression of the largely unprotected Palestinians under Israel's military occupation.
Yes, he knows it, but, since he views malicious dishonesty as an expression of political skill and cleverness, he just goes on and on, lying and lying and lying.
The fanatics in his quarter, who are undoubtedly numerous, would rather innately hail him and praise his genius in defense of Israel. But this is a shortsighted perception, utterly devoid of wisdom.
This is because, Netanyahu's impetuousness, recklessness and recalcitrance, which also reflect the collective mindset of many Israelis, probably a majority, is what will eventually take Israel to the abyss.
But by then, it would be too late. It is very much like a heavily intoxicated driver making a fatal traffic accident under the influence of alcohol.
As a Palestinian, I am ambivalent about the course Netanyahu and his equally self-absorbed colleagues in government are taking.
And just as the proverbial drunk driver who would refuse to heed warnings against driving under the influence of alcohol, Netanyahu, Bennett, Shaked, etc., are in no mood to listen to a word of advice and reproach.
In the final analysis, megalomaniac arrogance has more or less the same influence on mental sanity. It often leads to fatal consequences.
I don't know for sure if there is still any real chance for a dignified and lasting peace in Palestine/Israel. But whatever chances there may still be are vanishing very rapidly before our eyes.
In light of the grim realities on the ground, this view should actually be considered an overly auspicious perception rather than an expression of doom and gloom because otherwise the vast majority of serious observers and experts would strongly deny the existence of any real chance for peace in this part of the word. Is it too late? I hope not.
But my hope may be proven too illusive to be realistic.
Khalid Amayreh is a veteran Palestinian journalist and current affair commentator living in Occupied Palestine
11 june 2015
The EU Special Representative for the Middle East peace process, Fernando Gentilini, arrived in the blockaded Gaza Strip on Thursday morning in a first visit of its kind by the official.
A Palestinian official in Gaza’s department of border-crossings said Gentilini arrived in the Strip via the Beit Hanoun (Erez) border crossing, accompanied by a senior European delegation.
The European peace envoy is set to meet, during his short stopover in the coastal strip, with a number of representatives of international institutions and human rights organizations, along with several high-ranking Palestinian officials.
European officials have increasingly been dropping by the Gaza Strip in short follow-up stopovers aimed at assessing the current state of affairs in the besieged enclave, where living conditions have gone remarkably worse since the wake of last summer’s Israeli 51-day military offensive.
A Palestinian official in Gaza’s department of border-crossings said Gentilini arrived in the Strip via the Beit Hanoun (Erez) border crossing, accompanied by a senior European delegation.
The European peace envoy is set to meet, during his short stopover in the coastal strip, with a number of representatives of international institutions and human rights organizations, along with several high-ranking Palestinian officials.
European officials have increasingly been dropping by the Gaza Strip in short follow-up stopovers aimed at assessing the current state of affairs in the besieged enclave, where living conditions have gone remarkably worse since the wake of last summer’s Israeli 51-day military offensive.
9 june 2015
Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said on Tuesday that he does not believe a stable peace agreement could be reached with the Palestinians in his lifetime - one of the bleakest assessments from a top-level cabinet member since talks collapsed last year, Reuters reported.
Moshe Ya'alon, one of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's closest allies, accused the Palestinians of having "slammed the door" on efforts to keep discussions going, and said they had rejected peace-for-land deals for at least 15 years.
His comments came in a speech to the Herziliya Conference, an annual Jewish political conference, and were dismissed by a Palestine Liberation Organization official who told Reuters that Netanyahu's administration bore the blame for the impasse.
Peace negotiations broke off in April 2014, with disputes raging over Israeli settlement building in the West Bank and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's unity deal with Hamas Islamists who rule Gaza and do not recognize Israel's right to exist.
"As for the possibility of reaching an agreement, there is someone who says he doesn't see one during his term," Ya'alon said, referring to remarks US President Barack Obama made in an Israeli television interview last week.
"I don't see a stable agreement during my lifetime, and I intend to live a bit longer," Ya'alon told the Conference goers.
Netanyahu was due to address the forum later in the day.
Palestine Liberation Organization official Wasel Abu Youssef told Reuters past and present Israeli governments had "closed the political horizon" by demanding to retain major settlement blocs and rejecting a right of return for Palestinian refugees.
Youssef said Netanyahu's administration bore responsibility for the current impasse because of its settlement activities, refusal to release jailed Palestinians, and demand that Palestinians recognize Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people.
On the eve of his March 17 election to a fourth term, Netanyahu drew international criticism by saying there would be no Palestinian state if he remained Israel's leader.
He said withdrawal from occupied territory by Israel would embolden hard-line Islamist guerrillas arrayed on its borders.
Netanyahu has since sought to backtrack, insisting he remained committed to a "two-state solution" in which Palestinians would establish a demilitarized country and recognize Israel as the Jewish homeland.
Moshe Ya'alon, one of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's closest allies, accused the Palestinians of having "slammed the door" on efforts to keep discussions going, and said they had rejected peace-for-land deals for at least 15 years.
His comments came in a speech to the Herziliya Conference, an annual Jewish political conference, and were dismissed by a Palestine Liberation Organization official who told Reuters that Netanyahu's administration bore the blame for the impasse.
Peace negotiations broke off in April 2014, with disputes raging over Israeli settlement building in the West Bank and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's unity deal with Hamas Islamists who rule Gaza and do not recognize Israel's right to exist.
"As for the possibility of reaching an agreement, there is someone who says he doesn't see one during his term," Ya'alon said, referring to remarks US President Barack Obama made in an Israeli television interview last week.
"I don't see a stable agreement during my lifetime, and I intend to live a bit longer," Ya'alon told the Conference goers.
Netanyahu was due to address the forum later in the day.
Palestine Liberation Organization official Wasel Abu Youssef told Reuters past and present Israeli governments had "closed the political horizon" by demanding to retain major settlement blocs and rejecting a right of return for Palestinian refugees.
Youssef said Netanyahu's administration bore responsibility for the current impasse because of its settlement activities, refusal to release jailed Palestinians, and demand that Palestinians recognize Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people.
On the eve of his March 17 election to a fourth term, Netanyahu drew international criticism by saying there would be no Palestinian state if he remained Israel's leader.
He said withdrawal from occupied territory by Israel would embolden hard-line Islamist guerrillas arrayed on its borders.
Netanyahu has since sought to backtrack, insisting he remained committed to a "two-state solution" in which Palestinians would establish a demilitarized country and recognize Israel as the Jewish homeland.
8 june 2015
Israeli occupation prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in a video addressed to Sunday’s Jerusalem Post Conference in New York, said that Palestinians “Walk away” from “peace talks” as they “already have with Sharon, Olmert, and now, himself.
In the video recorded in his office, Netanyahu thanked the Obama administration for what they have done to Israels security. “Israel has no better friend in the world than the United States, and the United States has no better friend than Israel.” He said, “But even the closest of friends can respectfully disagree about issues of international security.”
Natanyahu also addressed the Lausanne agreement which will allow Iran to produce big amounts Uranium, by saying that preventing Iran from being able to build nuclear weapons is the preeminent challenge for Israel. “It must be understood that Iran does not only threaten the destruction of Israel, it is conquering huge swaths of the Middle East as it seeks to export its Islamic Revolution across the globe.”
On the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, Netanyahu said that the PA is “running away” from “peace talks,” and then seek to sanction Israel through BDS and other devices.
At the same time, Netanyahu is carrying on with violations against Palestinians; land seizure, abductions, settlement expansion and assaults.
Read More: PA doubting negotiations
In the video recorded in his office, Netanyahu thanked the Obama administration for what they have done to Israels security. “Israel has no better friend in the world than the United States, and the United States has no better friend than Israel.” He said, “But even the closest of friends can respectfully disagree about issues of international security.”
Natanyahu also addressed the Lausanne agreement which will allow Iran to produce big amounts Uranium, by saying that preventing Iran from being able to build nuclear weapons is the preeminent challenge for Israel. “It must be understood that Iran does not only threaten the destruction of Israel, it is conquering huge swaths of the Middle East as it seeks to export its Islamic Revolution across the globe.”
On the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, Netanyahu said that the PA is “running away” from “peace talks,” and then seek to sanction Israel through BDS and other devices.
At the same time, Netanyahu is carrying on with violations against Palestinians; land seizure, abductions, settlement expansion and assaults.
Read More: PA doubting negotiations
