ISRAEL’S INCOMING prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, offered a more moderate tone yesterday, promising he would negotiate with the Palestinians and saying he represented a “partner for peace”.
His comments, in a speech at an economic conference in Jerusalem, appeared designed to allay concerns about the formation of his new right-wing government. They came a day after he secured the surprise support of the Labor party, which will give his coalition government a broader base than first expected.
Mr Netanyahu has criticised the current round of peace talks with the Palestinians and has stopped short of endorsing the two-state solution that would see an independent Palestine created alongside Israel. Instead he has proposed a plan of “economic peace”, based only on investments in the occupied West Bank.
Mr Netanyahu said peace was a “common and enduring goal” for Israeli governments. “This means I will negotiate with the Palestinian Authority for peace,” he said. “I think that the Palestinians should understand that they have in our government a partner for peace, for security, for the rapid development of the Palestinian economy.” However, his agreement with Labor on Tuesday contained no explicit mention of the creation of an independent Palestinian state. In addition, Mr Netanyahu was due to meet yesterday with leaders of the far-right National Union party, a strong supporter of Jewish settlement in the West Bank. He hopes to bring its four MPs into his coalition as well.
Israel’s Army Radio also reported that Mr Netanyahu had struck a secret agreement with Avigdor Lieberman, the far-right politician who will be his foreign minister, to build a settlement in the West Bank in an area known as E1, east of Jerusalem.
The US has strongly opposed construction in E1, where a large Israeli police station has already been built and where land has been prepared for another 3,000 housing units. All settlements on occupied territory are illegal under international law.
The Palestinians are severely critical of E1 and other settlements. Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, said the new Israeli government would be judged by its actions. “Any Israeli government that accepts the two-state solution, negotiates with us on all core issues without exception, and agrees to stop settlement activity . . . will be a partner,” he said. “It’s time for deeds from both sides as far as their commitments are concerned, not words.”
Mr Netanyahu is expected to announce his new government next week. By winning over Labor, he has given himself a broader base with, so far, 66 seats in the 120-seat parliament. However, some Labor MPs are so angry that the party joined the coalition they may yet refuse to vote for the new government. – ( Guardianservice)