Haaretz Editoria : World not willing to buy Netanyahu's deceit anymore
“I don’t support a one-state solution. I don’t believe this is a solution at all. I support the vision of two states for two peoples – a demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes the Jewish state,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on Wednesday.
But how can anyone still believe the prime minister? On the eve of the election he renounced the two-states-for-two-peoples principle. Only two days ago he announced that Jerusalem is the capital of the Jewish people alone and now, suddenly, due to pressure, he again declares his support for the two-state solution.
Indeed, it appears that both Mogherini and the Norwegian Minister for Foreign Affairs Borge Brende are no longer impressed by what Netanyahu says. Brende, a friend of Israel’s, made it clear to Netanyahu that the pressure on Israel will increase after the nuclear agreement with Iran is signed. He advised him to accept at least one of the conditions set by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to resume the negotiations. The conditions include stopping the construction in the settlements, releasing the Palestinian prisoners who were incarcerated before the Oslo Accords, conducting continuous negotiations and setting a time table for ending the occupation by the end of 2017.
It is doubtful whether Abbas will waive some of his conditions in order to restart the negotiations. His terms are justified and reasonable. But when Netanyahu insists on refurbishing the minefield he laid before the peace process, like the demand to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, he is sabotaging even the slightest chance of opening a window for negotiations.
Netanyahu can comfortably lean back on the extremist right-wing wall surrounding the cabinet table. He can also repeat what everyone wants to hear. The problem is that no one is ready to buy this merchandise anymore.
The new government, which conveys to the world revulsion for any peaceful solution to the conflict with the Palestinians, is turning Israel into a heavy liability to its friends in the United States and Europe. Their patience is running out and their ability to protect Israel’s positons from boycotts and difficult Security Council resolutions and to block requests to the International Court of Justice is evaporating.
President Barack Obama may have said recently there’s no chance of reaching a turning point in the region in the coming year, but Europe is surging forward and perhaps it will be the one to save Israel.
The prime minister cannot ignore the important advice he received from the Norwegian foreign minister, which reflects a European consensus. Rejecting it will place Israel on a destructive course of collision with Europe and endanger its people’s future.
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