Israel’s West Bank settlements: Netanyahu’s arrogant response to the U.N. Palestine vote. - Slate Magazine
Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, takes a different approach. After losing last weeks U.N. vote on Palestinian statehood, Netanyahu announced West Bank settlements that the U.S. and Europe had strongly opposed. When Britain, France, Spain, Australia, and several other countries called in Israel's ambassadors to protest this slap, Netanyahus office replied that "Israel will continue to stand by its vital interests, even in the face of international pressure, and there will be no change in the decision that was made.
Now Netanyahu has opened a trip to GermanyIsraels most reliable friend and arms supplier in Europeby insulting Europe, Germans, common sense, and critics of his land-grab policy. In an interview with Die Welt, Netanyahu argues that diplomacy is war, criticism of Israel is anti-Semitism, and U.N. resolutionsbut not Israeli settlementsare unilateral.
We can see half of Palestinian society overtaken by radical Islamists supported by Iran, and the other half is moving away from peace with unilateral resolutions at the U.N., Netanyahu tells his interviewers. The U.N. vote, in his opinion, showed that the Palestinians want a Palestinian state without peace and that theres no value to making agreements for peace, because when the other side violates it, nobody will hold them accountable. In a dig at Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Netanyahu concludes:
That is the root cause of the conflict: the unwillingness to make peace with Israel in any borders. I would make peace in a heartbeat with Abu Mazen if he wanted peace, but he went to the U.N. His speech in the U.N. was not the speech of a man who wants peace. It was terrible incitement, full of venom. It wasnt the way that a leader speaks to his people preparing them for peace.
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The rest of the article/commentary is in the link.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, takes a different approach. After losing last weeks U.N. vote on Palestinian statehood, Netanyahu announced West Bank settlements that the U.S. and Europe had strongly opposed. When Britain, France, Spain, Australia, and several other countries called in Israel's ambassadors to protest this slap, Netanyahus office replied that "Israel will continue to stand by its vital interests, even in the face of international pressure, and there will be no change in the decision that was made.
Now Netanyahu has opened a trip to GermanyIsraels most reliable friend and arms supplier in Europeby insulting Europe, Germans, common sense, and critics of his land-grab policy. In an interview with Die Welt, Netanyahu argues that diplomacy is war, criticism of Israel is anti-Semitism, and U.N. resolutionsbut not Israeli settlementsare unilateral.
We can see half of Palestinian society overtaken by radical Islamists supported by Iran, and the other half is moving away from peace with unilateral resolutions at the U.N., Netanyahu tells his interviewers. The U.N. vote, in his opinion, showed that the Palestinians want a Palestinian state without peace and that theres no value to making agreements for peace, because when the other side violates it, nobody will hold them accountable. In a dig at Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Netanyahu concludes:
That is the root cause of the conflict: the unwillingness to make peace with Israel in any borders. I would make peace in a heartbeat with Abu Mazen if he wanted peace, but he went to the U.N. His speech in the U.N. was not the speech of a man who wants peace. It was terrible incitement, full of venom. It wasnt the way that a leader speaks to his people preparing them for peace.
...
The rest of the article/commentary is in the link.
