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Netanyahu Rejected Secret US Peace Plan |
By
Stephen Lendman |
| If Israel agreed to Palestinian statehood within June 1967 borders, peace
would follow. According to Haaretz, John Kerry proposed resolving longstanding conflict in secret February 2016 talks with Netanyahu, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el Sissi and Jordan’s King Abdullah. Despite including recognition of Israel as a Jewish state and cooperation with regional Arab nations as part of the deal, imperatives Netanyahu demands, he rejected the proposal, claiming inability to get his coalition partners to go along. Kerry included the following principles: secure and recognized Israeli borders, partially based on 1967 lines - with mutually agreed on land swaps, permitting a contiguous Palestinian state; fulfillment of UN Resolution 181, calling for two states for two people; a fair solution for diaspora Palestinians, leaving “the fundamental character of Israel” unchanged; Palestinians and Jews sharing Jerusalem as their capital, assuring free access to holy sites and the city undivided; Israeli security guaranteed, along with ending occupation once and for all; and an end of conflict, settlement of all outstanding claims, and establishment of normalized relations between both states. El Sissi and King Abdullah accepted the proposal. Netanyahu equivocated, agreeing only to release a positive statement in return for a regional peace summit. Talks fell apart when ultranationalist, Arab-hating Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu joined Netanyahu’s coalition, becoming defense minister as part of the deal. Peace remains unattainable the way things have always been. Trump’s likelihood of achieving what his predecessors failed to accomplish is virtually nil - because Israel wants conflict, not resolution. So do neocons infesting Washington. A Final Comment On Monday, Haaretz reported increasing Israeli West Bank industrial and commercial development, deepening control of the territory - making conflict resolution even more unlikely. Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III." http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network. |