U.S. Presses New Israeli Govt to Back Two - State Solution

[Cees Binkhorst]

REPLY TO: D66 at nic.surfnet.nl

De Vice-president Joe Biden brengt de boodschap dus duidelijk over tijdens
het congress van AIPAC in Washington: een twee-staten oplossing, geen
woningen in bezette gebieden en vrije toegang voor Palestijnen.

Premier Binyamin Netanyahu brengt via een satelliet verbinding zijn eigen
boodschap over, en laat zich niet uit over een twee-staten oplossing.

Vandaag brengt President Shimon Peres een bezoek aan President Obama, en
pas over twee weken is Premier Netanyahu welkom bij Obama (zal wel aan
agenda-problemen liggen).

Een week later volgt dan het bezoek van President Abbas aan Obama.

Ben benieuwd hoe de situatie aan het eind van de maand zal liggen.

Groet / Cees

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/05/05/world/international-uk-usa-israel.html

May 5, 2009
U.S. Presses New Israeli Govt to Back Two - State Solution
By REUTERS

Filed at 11:00 a.m. ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden pressed Israel on
Tuesday to support a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict in a speech to the leading U.S. pro-Israel lobby.

Israel's new right-leaning government under Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu has so far shied away from publicly supporting Palestinian
statehood, an omission that has dismayed U.S., Arab and European
officials.

Biden, speaking to a conference of the American Israel Public Affairs
Committee (AIPAC), said Palestinians must halt militant violence and
Israel "has to work for a two-state solution ... not build more
settlements, dismantle existing outposts and allow Palestinians freedom of
movement."

Biden's comments came ahead of a meeting between Israeli President Shimon
Peres and President Barack Obama later on Tuesday and less than two weeks
before Netanyahu visits the White House.

In a speech to the AIPAC on Monday, Netanyahu said he was ready to begin
Israeli-Palestinian peace talks immediately but he made no reference to a
Palestinian state.

Obama has made clear his own commitment to the two-state solution, which
has been the basis for U.S. policy in the Middle East conflict for years,
and has nudged Netanyahu to accept the goal of a Palestinian state
alongside Israel.

http://www.jpost.com
/servlet/Satellite?cid=1239710864928&pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull

Netanyahu: Israel ready to resume talks
May. 5, 2009
hilary leila krieger, jpost correspondent in washington , THE JERUSALEM POST

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu Monday night stressed the importance of
peace, calling for a three-tiered approach to working toward a resolution
with the Palestinians.

"We want peace with the Arab world. We also want peace with the
Palestinians," he declared.

At the same time, he insisted that "the Palestinians must recognize Israel
as a Jewish state," something the Palestinians have rejected.

Still, he told at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee annual
conference Monday night, "We are prepared to resume peace negotiations
without any delay, without any preconditions. The sooner the better."

The PM, who addressed the thousands of Congressmen, diplomats and
pro-Israel activists by satellite from Israel, was speaking ahead of his
own visit to Washington. Since coming into office, his largely right-wing
government has struck a different tone from America when it comes the
Israeli-Palestinian peace process, leading some to conclude that the US
and Israel are on a collision course on the issue. Notably, Netanyahu has
declined to publicly support a Palestinian state, a major goal of the
Obama administration.

In his comments to AIPAC, Netanyahu did not refer to a two-state solution,
but he called for working on three fronts with the Palestinians:
political, security and economic.

The first front, he said, would be the resumption of negotiations, while
the economic plank would constitute trying to improve the situation and
prosperity of Palestinians on the ground.

On security, he said that he would never compromise Israelis' safety, but
that he wanted to rush ahead with the work of US General Keith Dayton to
train Palestinian forces in the West Bank.

He also stated emphatically, "Iran must not be allowed to develop nuclear
weapons."

Iran is set to be a major topic of Netanyahu's conversations with Obama
and other top American officials later in the month, as Israel has
expressed wariness about how long the US might focus on talks with Iran as
Teheran continues to improve its nuclear capability.

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