JERUSALEM: Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday he was willing to talk peace with the Palestinians as he presented his Cabinet for parliamentary approval amid international concern Israel’s new government could bury the negotiations.
Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony for his predominantly right-wing Cabinet, the hawkish Likud leader also alluded to Iran, telling MPs the biggest threat Israel faced was the possibility of “a radical regime armed with nuclear weapons.”
Netanyahu, who opposes the creation of a Palestinian state, said that it is possible to reach peace. “We will carry out peace negotiations with the Palestinian Authority with a view to reaching a final accord. Under the final accord, the Palestinians will have all the rights to govern themselves except those that can put in danger the security and existence of the state of Israel,” Netanyahu said.
The Palestinian Authority said Netanyahu’s statements, which made no mention of a future Palestinian state, “mark a start that is not encouraging.”
“The American administration should pressure the Netanyahu government to stick to the fundamentals of the peace process, in other words land for peace. This means the restitution of all the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem,” said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ spokesman. Since being charged with forming a government after a Feb. 10 election, Netanyahu has made clear that his priority was dealing with Iran.
