Netanyahu claims foreign countries are seeking to dictate policy to Israel
PRIME Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has prefaced talks about a French-led peace initiative by saying foreign powers were trying to dictate to Israel a deal with the Palestinians.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, on a two-day Middle East visit, was due to meet Palestinian leaders in the West Bank before seeing Mr Netanyahu.
He is promoting a French-led initiative to relaunch the Israel-Palestine peace process, which collapsed in 2014, through an international support group comprising Arab st ates, the European Union and UN Security Council members.
Mr Netanyahu, in public remarks to his cabinet, said yesterday “international proposals they are trying to force upon us” did not take into account Israel’s security needs.
“They are trying to shunt us toward indefensible borders, ignoring what will happen on the other side,” Mr Netanyahu, who claims militants would take over areas vacated by Israel unless strong security arrangements were negotiated, said.
He did not mention the initiative directly but his remarks, before hosting Mr Fabius, were interpreted as criticism of Paris’ proposals.
France has so f ar focused with Arab states on a possible UN Security Council resolution that would set negotiating parameters and establish a time period, possibly 18 months, to complete talks.
“The only way to reach agreements is negotiations between the two sides, and we will firmly reject attempts to force international dictates on us,” Mr Netanyahu said.
In December, the US voted against a Palestinian resolution calling for an Israeli withdrawal from the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem and the establishment of a Palestinian state by late 2017.
But earlier this month, Barack Obama said the absence of a peace process and conditions raised by Mr Netanyahu on Palestinian statehood would make it hard for the US to defend Israel at the UN.
The Palestinians have sounded circumspect.
President Mahmoud Abbas said: “If the initiative contains what we need, then it will be welcome, and if it does not, then it will not be welcome and there is no need for it.”