Monday, December 27, 2010

Netanyahu on Channel 10: Hope Still Remains for Real Peace

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview to be aired on Channel 10 on Monday evening that peace negotiations with the Palestinians could result in an interim agreement.
"There could well be a situation that if we enter into talks with the Palestinians and we hit a wall on the issues of Jerusalem and refugees, the result would be an interim agreement, That is certainly a possibility."
The prime minister was responding to a question about Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's diplomatic plan for an interim agreement, which was reported on by Haaretz on Monday.

The PM dismisses tensions with Lieberman over FM's inflammatory comments about Turkey, peace process: "The foreign minister is not humiliating me, he's expressing his own opinion."
"In the Israeli government system, ministers always express their opinions. There is a coalition, there are different opinions, The final opinion is that decided upon by the government and that which is expressed by the prime minister. That's how it's been in all the governments."
"I set out a clear policy in the Bar Ilan speech. There I said that if the Palestinians recognize the Jewish State and give up the right of Palestinian refugees to return - I mean, if they recognize a demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes the Jewish state, I announce here and now I will see it through to the end, I have no doubt that the majority of the people will support this," he added.
Also in interview with Channel 10, Netanyahu said that Israel was ready to express regret over the Gaza flotilla incident but that Israel would not apologize for the actions of its soldiers.