Netanyahu at UN: Palestinians can get state only after peace with Israel
September 23, 2011
PM responds to Palestinians’ UN statehood bid, says Israel is prepared to have a Palestinian state in West Bank but doesn’t want another Gaza.
By News Agencies
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that the Palestinians must first make peace with Israel, and only after get their state, during his address to the UN General Assembly in New York.
“Israel is prepared to have a Palestinian state in the West Bank, but we’re not prepared to have another Gaza there,” Netanyahu stressed. “The Palestinians must first make peace with Israel, and only then get their state.”
He spoke Friday shortly after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, defying U.S. and Israeli opposition, asked the United Nations to accept them as a member state, sidestepping nearly two decades of failed negotiations.
Netanyahu responded by saying Israel was renewing its hand of peace to countries such as Egypt, Jordan and Turkey, “but most especially, I extend my hand to the Palestinian people, with whom we seek a just and lasting peace.”
Netanyahu added that if there was such a peace, “Israel will not be the last state to welcome a Palestinian state into the United Nations. We will be the first.”
It was also time for the Palestinians to acknowledge that “Israel is the Jewish state,” he told the assembly.
He also made an appeal to Abbas for direct peace talks with the Palestinians to begin without delay in New York.
“Let’s meet here today in the United Nations,” Netanyahu said.
Direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians collapsed a year ago. The Palestinians pulled out after Israel refused to extend a moratorium on new Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
Israel has rejected the Palestinian bid, saying that peace can only be achieved through negotiations, not a unilateral declaration of statehood.
U.S. President Barack Obama, echoed these sentiments in a meeting with Abbas in a meeting on Wednesday, saying that UN action would not achieve a Palestinian state and the United States would veto any Security Council move to recognize Palestinian statehood, the White House said.
Similar posts
-
How Israel Helps Its Arab Neighbors
September 27, 2023Introduction Israel, a country known for its rich history and complex geopolitical landscape, ha...
-
The Amazing Country of Israel
September 15, 2023Introduction Nestled in the heart of the Middle East, Israel is a nation with a remarkable histo...
-
Israel Safeguards The World From Terror Attacks
August 23, 2023Introduction In an era where terrorism poses a significant threat to global security, Israel sta...
-
Israel Helps The World With Water Recycling
August 10, 2023Introduction In a world grappling with the challenges of water scarcity and resource management,...
-
Israel's Remarkable Female Soldiers
July 26, 2023Introduction When we think of the Israeli military, we often conjure up images of well-trained s...
-
About Gal Gadot's Cleopatra Movie
July 18, 2023By Katy Rath Gal Gadot's new Cleopatra movie has been steeped in both anticipation and controver...
-
Israel Empowers The World Through Innovation
July 10, 2023BY: SOLVE ISRAEL'S PROBLEMS Introduction:In recent years, Israel has emerged as a global powerho...
-
The Jerusalem Embassy, 5 Years Later
May 22, 2023By Nikki Haley On May 14, 2018, something incredible happened. The United States...
