Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday resolutely rejected a one-state solution but stopped short, however, of explicitly endorsing Palestinian statehood.
In a comprehensive interview with the BBC as he wound down a trip to London, Netanyahu also praised US President Donald Trump for understanding the nature of Iran’s threat to the region, and said he hoped for “continuity” in UK-Israel relations if the Labour Party’s Jeremy Corbyn were to become prime minister.
“No, I don’t want a one-state solution, I’ll be clear about that. And I’m unabashed about saying that,” he replied to interviewer Andrew Marr’s question about the death of the two-state solution. “But I want to make sure that what we have next to us is something that will not threaten our lives. It really makes a difference what the other state is. Is it Costa Rica or is it North Korea? Is it another mini-Iran or is it Luxembourg?”
Advocates of a two-state solution do not specify what exactly they mean by that term, Netanyahu lamented.
“The other state, if it’s not demilitarized, if it doesn’t recognize the State of Israel, which the Palestinians still refuse to do, then it merely becomes a platform for continuing the war against the one Jewish state. And, therefore, I think you have to be more specific and say no, what we want is the recognition, finally, after a hundred years, after the Balfour Declaration, finally recognize the Jewish state.”
The settlements are a “side issue” in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with the core issue being the Palestinians’ refusal to accept a Jewish state in any borders, Netanyahu asserted. He added: “I think the idea that Jews cannot live in Judea is crazy.” (Read More)
