Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his
vision of a peace deal does not include removing any Israeli communities
in Judea and Samaria • PM: Anti-Israel boycott efforts "move peace
farther away" • Kerry: Israel's security needs must be addressed.
Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu (right) with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Davos on
Friday
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Photo credit: Kobi Gideon/GPO |
"I have no intention of removing a single
community; I have no intention of uprooting a single Israeli," Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday at a press conference in
Davos, Switzerland, where he was attending the annual meeting of the
World Economic Forum.
And, speaking of efforts to boycott Israel,
Netanyahu said: "Economic pressure on Israel does not help move toward
peace; it moves peace farther away. Those who want to advance peace must
choose the opposite path -- you need to be fair and balanced."
Netanyahu also briefed reporters about his
meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, saying: "The meeting
was very good. ... I restated the two principal issues that concern us:
mutual recognition of two nation states -- with one of them being
recognized as the Jewish people's nation state -- and of course,
security."
Kerry also spoke at the forum on Friday, and made many references to Israel and the peace process with the Palestinians.
"President Obama's approach begins with
America's steadfast commitment to Israel's security," Kerry said. "He
knows and I know that there cannot be peace unless Israel's security and
its needs are met. Palestinians need to know that at the end of the
day, their territory is going to be free of Israeli troops, that
occupation ends, but the Israelis rightfully will not withdraw unless
they know that the West Bank will not become a new Gaza. And nobody can
blame any leader of Israel for being concerned about that reality."
Kerry urged the leaders on both sides to reach a deal.
"At the end of the day, it is up to Prime
Minister Netanyahu and [Palestinian Authority] President [Mahmoud] Abbas
to recognize what the world has recognized: that peace is in the best
interests of their people," Kerry said. "But that makes it no less true
that at every level, everybody has a role to play. The Arab League and
the European Union have already shown how they can pave the way for
peace, and they have been unbelievably cooperative, and we're grateful
for their help. ...There are some people who assert this may be the last
shot. I don't know the answer to that. I don't want to find out the
hard way."
Kerry stressed that peace would serve the parties' economic interests.
"Israel's economic juggernaut is a wonder to behold," he said.
"Prime Minister Netanyahu was able to talk to
you about it here today. But a deteriorating security environment and
the growing isolation that could come with it could put that prosperity
at risk. Meanwhile, if this fails, Palestinians will be no closer to the
sovereignty that they seek, no closer to their ability to be the
masters of their own fate, no closer to their ability to grow their own
economy, no closer to resolving the refugee problem that has been
allowed to fester for decades. And if they fail to achieve statehood
now, there is no guarantee another opportunity will follow anytime
soon."
Appearing on Channel 2's Meet the Press on
Saturday, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni warned against continued
Palestinian intransigence.
"If [Palestinian Authority President] Mahmoud
Abbas continues to insist on positions that we and the rest of the world
consider unacceptable, the Palestinians will be the ones who pay the
price," Livni said.
She also qualified Netanyahu's comments on
removing communities in Judea and Samaria, saying, "Most of the Israelis
are in settlement blocs and they will stay in their homes; as for the
rest, we will have to discuss this matter."
Meanwhile, in an interview with the Palestinian At-Tarik
weekly, PLO Executive Committee Secretary Yasser Abed Rabbo revealed
some aspects of Kerry's peace plan. According to Rabbo, the plan would
see international forces deployed in the border region of the Jordan
Valley and other friction spots, with Israel maintaining full overall
security control.
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