Netanyahu Says Peace Intrinsically Linked to Israel Self-Defense

إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية W460

Any peace deal with the Palestinians must be based on Israel's ability to defend itself if the agreement breaks down, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said just hours before a visit by Washington's top diplomat.

"Peace rests on security. It is not based on good will or legitimacy as some think. It is based, first and foremost, on our ability to defend ourselves," he said at a ceremony marking the 109th anniversary of the death of Theodor Herzl, the founding father of Zionism.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is due back in Jerusalem on Thursday evening on his fifth trip in as many months as he seeks to coax Israel and the Palestinians back to direct negotiations which collapsed nearly three years ago.

Ahead of his visit, Netanyahu's rhetoric has taken on a different tone and focused more on the substance of any future talks than on the obstacles to actually starting them.

"Without security, without the army that Herzl called to establish, we cannot defend peace, we cannot defend ourselves if the peace unravels," he said in remarks communicated by his office.

"A basic condition for the existence of peace, for the achievement of it and for preserving it, is security."

Comments 3
Thumb mckinl 27 June 2013, 12:48

""Netanyahu understands that for a peace agreement, it will be necessary to withdraw from more than 90 percent of the West Bank and evacuate more than a few settlements," he told the paper."

Naharnet: Israel PM Ready for 'Painful' Settlement Evacuations

We shall see ... The question is: What brought about this complete surrender of Netanyahu and his government on the West Bank issue?

Was it a threat that the US would allow Palestine full statehood by abstaining at the UN Security Council or was it exposing Israeli crimes?

The US intelligence community is now falling apart over revelations of domestic spying. Will a whistle blower expose Israeli crimes as revenge?

There are two crimes that Israel has been linked to ... 9/11 and the Anthrax attacks shortly thereafter ... both still unsolved despite the rhetoric.

Missing lappeaudecouille 27 June 2013, 12:51

This man makes a laughingstock of himself.

Thumb benzona 27 June 2013, 15:20

The Israelis are betting on a Assad victory.... Let's prove them wrong. Their ally cannot and will not prevail. The free Syrians will!