(Piers Morgan blogs on dailymail.co.uk).
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16
"I’ve flown to Jerusalem for a world-exclusive interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – the first he’s given since the Middle East uprisings began in Tunisia back in December.
I’ve never been to Israel before and was taken aback by the extraordinary natural beauty of the place. I was also surprised to stop at a café and see it full of Arabs and Jews eating side by side quite happily.
‘We don’t all hate each other,’ said my driver.
I went to a hilltop to film a piece for tonight’s show, and saw how close Jerusalem is to Ramallah, the centre for the Palestinians. Only a giant security block separates the two sides. It reminded me of the Northern Ireland conflict: warring neighbours parted by a bit of barbed wire but decades of bitter fighting.
Because of the time difference with New York, I had to go live for CNN from my hotel balcony at 3am in Jerusalem, with the twinkling lights of the ancient walled city behind me. An extraordinary, almost mystical experience.
THURSDAY, MARCH 17
The interview with Prime Minister Netanyahu was a fascinating encounter, conducted at his private residence in Jerusalem, surrounded – as you can imagine – by incredibly tight security.
The Prime Minister was intelligent, articulate and charming. But he’s also a ferociously tough politician, and I knew – with the world watching – that I couldn’t give him an easy ride.
At one point he asked me directly what I would do to secure a settlement, clearly expecting me not to answer.
‘You really want to know?’ I replied.
‘Yes.’
‘OK then,’ I replied, ‘I’ll tell you. When President Sadat came to Jerusalem making concessions, it worked. Why don’t you go to Ramallah, make concessions and be the big guy now?’
He looked at me hard, then smiled.
‘I’m pretty big,’ he said.
Ironically, with so much upheaval elsewhere in the region, there’s probably never been a better time for the Israelis and Palestinians to strike a two-state deal. But these things only happen when big leaders take big steps.
I might be completely wrong about this, but I got the sense that Netanyahu realises this might be the moment to put his large hand on history..."