(Brietbart).The heat is on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from within his own party to resist US pressure and not utter the words "Palestinian state" in a keenly-awaited policy speech.
"The expression Palestinian state should not be used," Likud MP Miri Regev said on Thursday, echoing the sentiment of several other members of Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party ahead of Sunday's speech.
Regev insisted that US President Barack Obama cannot force decisions upon the Israeli government:"The US pressure is mainly psychological; one should not forget that the president is not the only one in the United States, there's the Congress and the Senate, which support Israel," she said.
Also among those pressing Netanyahu to steer clear of the concept of a Palestinian state is Benny Begin, a minister without portfolio and son of former premier Menahem Begin:"If the only solution is two states for two peoples, then there is no solution," he said.
Knesset speaker Rivlin Speaking during a West Bank tour, said that the Arab-Israeli conflict must be resolved before going ahead and addressing the Palestinian question.
"The prime minister should only say what he believes in, and tell the Americans, as they asked, the truth," Rivlin said. "I think that when the prime minister talks about an agreement, he truly wants to secure an agreement. But I'm not sure that the PM believes in two states for two peoples."
