Monday, April 20, 2009

US: Palestinians don't have to recognize 'Jewish state'

Israel Today

The US State Department at the weekend issued a statement rejecting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's demand that the Palestinians recognize Israel's status as "the Jewish state" as a condition for renewing peace talks. Netanyahu's demand was a response to American and European pressure that he publicly commit to the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian Arab state as the outcome of the peace process. Netanyahu wants to ensure that if he bows to that pressure, the world understands and acknowledges that the other state west of the Jordan River is first and foremost the homeland of the Jews.

Netanyahu presented the demand when he met last Thursday with US envoy George Mitchell. But it was immediately rejected when Mitchell visited Ramallah on Friday to meet with the regime of Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas.

The international community has become accustomed to the Arabs rejecting all Israeli conditions for peace, while Israel routinely caves to pressure that it meet Arab demands. Netanyahu hopes to change that perception during his term, and thus reintroduce reciprocity to the peace process.

Guest Comment:We must protest to the While House and State Dept regarding this one sided posture taken by the US, a departure from the UN establishement of Israel as the home of the Jewish Peole, and contrary to every position taken by the US until today.

In the same vein that Hillary called the conviction of US journalist by Iran to be "disappointing," the US is cowering or continuing its pursuit of appeasing the Muslim world. The Road Map is now the solution of the past, because the Palestinians did not meet any of its requirements. Now the US is looking at the Saudi plan which gives Israel nothing but a promise to "normalize relations" ( an undefined term), and only after Israel withdraws to pre 1967 borders and allows Arab "refugees" to flood across its borders. Is it any wonder that Abbas refuses to agree that Israel shall remain a Jewish state? And the Arab position is acceptable to the US. The US simply wants to "succeed" in creating a Palestinian State, no matter what the cost to Israel.

Aggie

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