BICOM

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday reiterated his willingness to enter peace talks with the Palestinian Authority (PA) without preconditions in an address to the annual conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

Speaking via satellite from Israel, Netanyahu said that he is ready to begin talks “immediately, without preconditions” towards a two-state solution “anytime, anywhere,” but that his willingness is not shared by PA President Mahmoud Abbas. He said, “There is political will here in Jerusalem but there is no political will there in Ramallah. Abbas refuses to speak to me for even one minute.” Netanyahu has repeatedly called to restart talks, which were suspended in April 2014, but Abbas has insisted that Israel first release Palestinian prisoners and freeze construction in the West Bank, both measures which Israel has previously undertaken.

Underscoring his support for a two-state solution, Netanyahu commented that the “best formula for peace is two states for two peoples, a demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes the Jewish state.” However, he said that “Peace won’t come through UN Security Council resolutions but through direct negotiations between the parties.” Netanyahu argued that, “Only Israel is permanently scheduled for condemnation at the UN Security Council,” not even “Iran, not Syria, not North Korea.” As such, “A Security Council Resolution to pressure Israel would further harden Palestinian positions and thereby could actually kill the chances of peace for many, many years.”

Netanyahu also addressed July’s nuclear deal with Iran, which he vocally condemned in advance of the agreement, in opposition to Washington’s position. He commented, “That debate, though intense, did not undermine the unbreakable alliance between Israel and the United States.” Netanyahu suggested that both sides could still cooperate in order to prevent Iranian nuclear and regional ambitions, saying, “I believe those who supported the nuclear deal and those who opposed it can at the very least work together to stop Iran’s aggression and terror and hold Iran accountable for its transgressions.”