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Netanyahu defends settlements as Knesset marks 50 years since the Six-Day War
Israel’s Prime Minister reiterated his conviction that Israelis living in the West Bank should be allowed to remain there at a Knesset ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the Six-Day War.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to “strengthen the settlement enterprise” at the ceremony, on the basis that “everyone has a right to live in his home and no one may uproot him”. He also stressed that his “desire to reach an agreement with our Palestinian neighbours” in order that the settlements remain, alongside a future Palestinian state. Netanyahu cited Ariel as an example of a settlement that has fostered Israeli-Palestinian coexistence, saying: “Arabs and Jews study there together, and it illustrates what coexistence is.”
Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein also took the opportunity to reiterate his support for Israeli West Bank settlements, saying: “Fifty years ago, we returned to breathe the mountain air as clear as wine. The unification of Jerusalem and the liberation of the homeland, returned us to life – and returned the land to life.”
Netanyahu also called upon Palestinian leaders to recognise the state of Israel, saying: “The conflict is not about establishing a state. It is a conflict about destroying a state, and I expect countries to demand that the Palestinians finally recognise Israel.”
Netanyahu’s comments come in a week where he has faced strong criticism from several settlement leaders, on the back of suggestions that the government could implement a freeze on construction in the West Bank in a bid to restart the peace process. Samaria Regional Council Chairman Yossi Dagan suggested that if this went ahead, Likud should replace Netanyahu as leader with “a candidate who will be committed in deeds and not just in words to the ideology of the national camp in Israel”.
Opposition party Meretz decided to boycott the committee meetings and plenum session that were dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Six-Day War, arguing that these events “blatantly and demonstratively ignore the occupation and the cost in human lives it has taken throughout its years”.