Robert Bandanza
March 23rd, 2010, 06:05 PM
Hanan Awarekeh
23/03/2010 Defying the international community and insisting on impeding the so-called “peace talks”, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told thousands of participants at AIPAC's annual conference on Monday that occupied Jerusalem (Al-Quds) is not a settlement, but it is "Israel's capital".
The Israeli prime minister met Monday with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in an attempt to put an end to the crisis that began when the report broke of plans to build 1,600 new units in occupied East Jerusalem two weeks ago during the visit to Tel Aviv of U.S. Vice President Joe Biden.
Netanyahu reiterated his stance on construction in front of the entire world, and told his audience of some 8,000 pro-Israel activists, "The connection between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel cannot be denied. The connection between the Jewish people and Jerusalem cannot be denied. The Jewish people were building Jerusalem 3,000 year ago and the Jewish people are building Jerusalem today. Jerusalem is not a settlement. It is our capital," he said.
He continued to say, "In Jerusalem, my government has maintained the policies of all Israeli governments since 1967, including those led by Golda Meir, Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Rabin. Today, nearly a quarter of a million Jews, almost half the city’s Jewish population, live in neighborhoods that are just beyond the 1949 armistice lines. All these neighborhoods are within a five-minute drive from the Knesset. They are an integral and inextricable part of modern Jerusalem. Everyone knows that these neighborhoods will be part of Israel in any peace settlement. Therefore, building them in no way precludes the possibility of a two-state solution."
Before Netanyahu left for Washington he asked Israeli Housing Minister Ariel Atias not to participate in the dedication ceremony for a new neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem. Netanyahu made the request in light of the recent tensions between Israel and the United States over the settlement policy in occupied Jerusalem. Atias canceled his participation and the festive ceremony, which could have overshadowed Netanyahu's Washington visit.
Netanyahu is to meet Tuesday evening at the White House with U.S. President Barak Obama.
During his meeting with Clinton, Netanyahu showed her graphs and data regarding planning and construction in occupied Jerusalem to show her the difficulties the government faces in monitoring every phase of planning approval in the occupied city.
Netanyahu said the planning process was a long one, but every phase could engender an international crisis even though it might not mean construction was imminent.
Netanyahu also spoke Monday before some 300 representatives and senators at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee banquet. He discussed the Iranian nuclear program and the peace process with the Palestinians, but mostly worked to convey a message of common interests and close relations between Israel and the United States.
Netanyahu said, "In recent decades the hatred of the Jews has reemerged with increasing force, but with an insidious twist. It is not merely directed at the Jewish people but increasingly at the Jewish state. In its most pernicious form, it argues that if only Israel did not exist, many of the world's problems would go away."
He noted that "Iran’s rulers say, 'Israel is a one bomb country.' The head of Hezbollah says: 'If all the Jews gather in Israel, it will save us the trouble of going after them worldwide.'"
In an attempt to explain Israel's security predicament to his audience, Netanyahu said, "Imagine the entire United States compressed to the size of New Jersey. Next, put on New Jersey's northern border an Iranian terror proxy called Hezbollah which fires 6,000 rockets into that small state. Then imagine that this terror proxy has amassed 60,000 more missiles to fire at you. Now imagine on New Jersey’s southern border another Iranian terror proxy called Hamas. It too fires 6,000 rockets into your territory while smuggling ever more lethal weapons into its territory."
He also called on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to come to the negotiating table and added that the United States could assist in the process but that peace could not be imposed from the outside.
Netanyahu's attempts at fence-mending were prominent, and he praised Obama a number of times for his commitment to Israel's security.
Netanyahu also said Israel expected the international community to deal decisively with Iran to thwart what he called “the danger of Iran” obtaining nuclear weapons, but that Israel retained the right to self-defense. He said that if Iran obtained nuclear weapons, it would end the period of nuclear peace the world has known for the past 65 years.
Clinton’s earlier speech at the AIPAC convention was warmly received and punctuated with stormy applause. Ten days after scolding Netanyahu over building in occupied East Jerusalem, Clinton spoke with feeling about her visits to the Zionist entity and vowed that American support for Israel's security remains "rock solid, unwavering, enduring and forever."
Clinton devoted much of her address to the stagnated peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. She said resuming the talks should be serious and substantive, and warned that Israeli building in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank were hurting U.S. mediation.
The conference was a major show of pro-Israel power, and was attended by almost half of the members of Senate. At one point, two women from the Code Pink anti-war group disrupted the Israeli prime minister's speech, causing him to stop for a few seconds. The demonstrators were quickly removed form the hall.
PALESTINIANS: NETANYAHU’S REMARKS THREATEN RETURN TO TALKS
In first reaction to Netanyahu’s comments, the Palestinians warned that the Israeli Prime Minister's refusal to freeze settlements in occupied east Jerusalem threatened US efforts to revive peace talks.
"What Netanyahu said does not help American efforts and will not serve the efforts of the American administration to return the two sides to indirect negotiations," Palestinian Authority spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said.
"Netanyahu's policies and the actions of his government will in the end lead to the destruction of all opportunities available for a serious peace process and successful negotiations."
"The statements by Netanyahu prove that he does not want to return to any serious negotiations," Abu Rudeina said, adding "They are incompatible with international law which considers Jerusalem the capital of two states."
http://www.almanar.com.lb/newssite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=130532&language=en
23/03/2010 Defying the international community and insisting on impeding the so-called “peace talks”, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told thousands of participants at AIPAC's annual conference on Monday that occupied Jerusalem (Al-Quds) is not a settlement, but it is "Israel's capital".
The Israeli prime minister met Monday with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in an attempt to put an end to the crisis that began when the report broke of plans to build 1,600 new units in occupied East Jerusalem two weeks ago during the visit to Tel Aviv of U.S. Vice President Joe Biden.
Netanyahu reiterated his stance on construction in front of the entire world, and told his audience of some 8,000 pro-Israel activists, "The connection between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel cannot be denied. The connection between the Jewish people and Jerusalem cannot be denied. The Jewish people were building Jerusalem 3,000 year ago and the Jewish people are building Jerusalem today. Jerusalem is not a settlement. It is our capital," he said.
He continued to say, "In Jerusalem, my government has maintained the policies of all Israeli governments since 1967, including those led by Golda Meir, Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Rabin. Today, nearly a quarter of a million Jews, almost half the city’s Jewish population, live in neighborhoods that are just beyond the 1949 armistice lines. All these neighborhoods are within a five-minute drive from the Knesset. They are an integral and inextricable part of modern Jerusalem. Everyone knows that these neighborhoods will be part of Israel in any peace settlement. Therefore, building them in no way precludes the possibility of a two-state solution."
Before Netanyahu left for Washington he asked Israeli Housing Minister Ariel Atias not to participate in the dedication ceremony for a new neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem. Netanyahu made the request in light of the recent tensions between Israel and the United States over the settlement policy in occupied Jerusalem. Atias canceled his participation and the festive ceremony, which could have overshadowed Netanyahu's Washington visit.
Netanyahu is to meet Tuesday evening at the White House with U.S. President Barak Obama.
During his meeting with Clinton, Netanyahu showed her graphs and data regarding planning and construction in occupied Jerusalem to show her the difficulties the government faces in monitoring every phase of planning approval in the occupied city.
Netanyahu said the planning process was a long one, but every phase could engender an international crisis even though it might not mean construction was imminent.
Netanyahu also spoke Monday before some 300 representatives and senators at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee banquet. He discussed the Iranian nuclear program and the peace process with the Palestinians, but mostly worked to convey a message of common interests and close relations between Israel and the United States.
Netanyahu said, "In recent decades the hatred of the Jews has reemerged with increasing force, but with an insidious twist. It is not merely directed at the Jewish people but increasingly at the Jewish state. In its most pernicious form, it argues that if only Israel did not exist, many of the world's problems would go away."
He noted that "Iran’s rulers say, 'Israel is a one bomb country.' The head of Hezbollah says: 'If all the Jews gather in Israel, it will save us the trouble of going after them worldwide.'"
In an attempt to explain Israel's security predicament to his audience, Netanyahu said, "Imagine the entire United States compressed to the size of New Jersey. Next, put on New Jersey's northern border an Iranian terror proxy called Hezbollah which fires 6,000 rockets into that small state. Then imagine that this terror proxy has amassed 60,000 more missiles to fire at you. Now imagine on New Jersey’s southern border another Iranian terror proxy called Hamas. It too fires 6,000 rockets into your territory while smuggling ever more lethal weapons into its territory."
He also called on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to come to the negotiating table and added that the United States could assist in the process but that peace could not be imposed from the outside.
Netanyahu's attempts at fence-mending were prominent, and he praised Obama a number of times for his commitment to Israel's security.
Netanyahu also said Israel expected the international community to deal decisively with Iran to thwart what he called “the danger of Iran” obtaining nuclear weapons, but that Israel retained the right to self-defense. He said that if Iran obtained nuclear weapons, it would end the period of nuclear peace the world has known for the past 65 years.
Clinton’s earlier speech at the AIPAC convention was warmly received and punctuated with stormy applause. Ten days after scolding Netanyahu over building in occupied East Jerusalem, Clinton spoke with feeling about her visits to the Zionist entity and vowed that American support for Israel's security remains "rock solid, unwavering, enduring and forever."
Clinton devoted much of her address to the stagnated peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. She said resuming the talks should be serious and substantive, and warned that Israeli building in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank were hurting U.S. mediation.
The conference was a major show of pro-Israel power, and was attended by almost half of the members of Senate. At one point, two women from the Code Pink anti-war group disrupted the Israeli prime minister's speech, causing him to stop for a few seconds. The demonstrators were quickly removed form the hall.
PALESTINIANS: NETANYAHU’S REMARKS THREATEN RETURN TO TALKS
In first reaction to Netanyahu’s comments, the Palestinians warned that the Israeli Prime Minister's refusal to freeze settlements in occupied east Jerusalem threatened US efforts to revive peace talks.
"What Netanyahu said does not help American efforts and will not serve the efforts of the American administration to return the two sides to indirect negotiations," Palestinian Authority spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said.
"Netanyahu's policies and the actions of his government will in the end lead to the destruction of all opportunities available for a serious peace process and successful negotiations."
"The statements by Netanyahu prove that he does not want to return to any serious negotiations," Abu Rudeina said, adding "They are incompatible with international law which considers Jerusalem the capital of two states."
http://www.almanar.com.lb/newssite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=130532&language=en