Netanyahu ‘determined to show world he is not against peace’ – Prime minister not expected to use phrase ‘two states for two peoples’ at planned response speech following Obama address in Egypt, but he will work hard to narrow the schism over the settlements. ‘Israel is adopting the principles of Obama’s vision,’ PM’s aides say Roni Sofer of www.ynetnews.com
Published: June 6, 2009

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will lay out his political stance on peace with the Palestinians in a speech at Bar Ilan University next week. The speech comes as a response to the historic address delivered by US President Barack Obama in Egypt last week, officials close to the prime minister said on Sunday.

“These issues aren’t decided over the course of a week, but the prime minister is adamant to make clear to Israelis and to the world that Israel is not against peace, and that it is willing to adopt the principles of Obama’s vision while maintaining Israel’s security interests,” the sources said.”

Those close to Netanyahu believe the prime minister will not employ the ‘two states for two peoples’ terminology which the US administration views as a litmus test.

Netanyahu is expected to try and abate the tensions that have arisen opposite Washington over the settlement issue and express Israel’s willingness to tackle the illegal outposts in the West Bank.

The components of the prime minister’s speech are still under wraps as Netanyahu and his close advisors are playing this one close to the chest. The speech is being prepared alongside increased efforts to work out Netanyahu’s final stance on the key issues at hand – the Palestinian conflict, the advancement of regional ties with moderate Arab states, and the possible renewal of talks with Syria.

Discussions on these matters are occupying most of the prime minister’s time, and the time of his aides. His top political advisors – Uzi Arad, Yitzhak Molcho and Ron Dermer – have been tasked with working the political content into the speech.

Netanyahu will also meet with coalition partners Avigdor Lieberman, Eli Yishai, and Daniel Hershkowitz to get their input before working on the speech himself.

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Further, Roni Sofer writes:
Israel proposes joint US-Israeli team monitor settlements – Despite increased pressure from Washington, Jerusalem officials say Israel will continue to build within exiting boundaries of settlements. Alongside this however, they stress government willing to accept Palestinian state with limited authority over security issues

The verbal sparring over construction in the settlements has shown no signs of abating. A senior official said on Saturday night that despite the decidedly unambiguous terms states by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Israel will continue to build in the larger settlement blocs, in communities adjacent to the security fence and in the neighborhoods on Jerusalem’s outskirts.

Another official sought to stress however that Israel was working to “get the message across that we’re willing to work towards a solution, one that culminates in the creation of Palestinian state with limited authorities.” The official added that the restrictions would mostly pertain to security issues. “There can’t be another army between the sea and Jordan.”

US President Barack Obama’s special envoy on the Middle East, George Mitchell, will be arriving in Israel this week for a series of meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders as Washington moves to restart the peace negotiations.

Mitchell is expected to build a more permanent base for himself in the region, one that will allow him to monitor the building in the settlements and dismantling of the illegal outposts in the West Bank. The US envoy will also increase pressure on Israel to ease restrictions on the Palestinian population and open the Gaza Strip’s border crossings.

“There have been conflicts with various administrations, certainly over the issue of the settlements,” a senior political official told Ynet. “There are differences of opinion, we do not want to exacerbate them. We are trying to see where the current administration is headed.”

Another source said that construction in the larger blocs would continue. “There is broad public approval in Israel for continued building, including for ‘natural growth.’”

Israel has offered the Americans to form a joint body that would be tasked with overseeing construction in the settlements to ensure that the building does not go beyond the existing limits of any given community, and that no new settlements are being built.

Clinton dismissed on Friday arguments that Israel and the Bush administration had an understanding regarding the settlement blocs. Dov Weisglass, chief of staff to former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, has recently said that the Bush administration and Israel had an understanding under which Israel could continue to build within settlements as long as their existing boundaries remained the same.

Alongside the pressure from Washington, Jerusalem is also preparing to defend itself on another front as Sweden assumes the role of EU president in July. As current holders of the rotating presidency, Sweden is expected to take a much harder line against Israel. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman will head for Brussels later this month for a meeting with 27 European foreign ministers on the issue of the EU’s relationship with Israel. An advancement of the ties, it would seem, has been put on ice for now.

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Other sources quote Barak Ravid who wrote in Haaretz of June 7, 2009 among other things:
Those close to Netanyahu believe the prime minister will not employ the ‘two states for two peoples’ terminology which the US administration views as a litmus test. Netanyahu is expected to try and abate the tensions that have arisen opposite Washington over the settlement issue and express Israel’s willingness to tackle the illegal outposts in the West Bank.

The components of the prime minister’s speech are still under wraps as Netanyahu and his close advisors are playing this one close to the chest. The speech is being prepared alongside increased efforts to work out Netanyahu’s final stance on the key issues at hand – the Palestinian conflict, the advancement of regional ties with moderate Arab states, and the possible renewal of talks with Syria.

Ravid says from Netanyahu’s statement to the Cabinet   “Ahead of the speech, I will hear the views of my coalition partners and others among the Israeli public,” Netanyahu told the ministers during the weekly cabinet meeting yesterday. “I would like to make it clear that we seek peace with the Palestinians and the Arab world, while trying to reach the greatest possible understanding with the United States and the international community. I aspire to achieve a stable peace, while leaning on the foundations of security for the State of Israel and its citizens.”

Netanyahu has yet to finalize his address, and is expected to discuss it this week with his advisers, ministry representatives and other political officials. The speech was moved up from next Tuesday to Sunday – possibly because Netanyahu wants to lay out his principles before Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman leaves for Brussels on Monday to meet with several European counterparts, according to a government source.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak is pushing Netanyahu to take a conciliatory stance on the two-state solution and to announce that he is committed to the principles of the road map. Barak has told Netanyahu that his meetings with American officials in Washington last week gave him the impression that taking such positions would make it easier for Israel to reach an agreement with the United States about settlement expansion for the purposes of natural growth.

“I am optimistic that Netanyahu will accept these positions,” Barak said.

Meanwhile, U.S. Mideast envoy George Mitchell will arrive in Israel tonight for talks on halting settlement construction. Mitchell, who will meet with Netanyahu, Barak and Lieberman tomorrow, is also expected to call on Israel to ease restrictions at the Gaza border crossings.

Javier Solana, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, is due to visit Israel and the Palestinian Authority on Wednesday and discuss what Netanyahu plans to say in next week’s address. Also on Solana’s agenda is the future of the process to upgrade ties between Israel and the European Union.

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THE PULSE WRITES:

Words And Deeds: Netanyahu Announces His Own Major Speech On Mideast Peace.

The Pulse POSTED JUNE 8, 2009 – 10:34AM

In a cabinet meeting yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced his plan to give a speech on his government’s position on the peace process:

“In recent days, I have read and heard quotes attributed to me that I did not say. I would like to make it clear: We want to achieve peace with the Palestinians and with the countries of the Arab world, while attempting to reach maximum understanding with the US and our friends around the world. My aspiration is to achieve a stable peace that rests on a solid foundation of security for the State of Israel and its citizens. Next week, I will make a major diplomatic speech in which I will present the citizens of Israel with our principles for achieving peace and security. Ahead of the speech, I intend listen to the opinions of the coalition partners and other elements among the Israeli public.”

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Shimon Shiffer in Yediot Acharonoth:

The prime minister is “ripening” towards a change of direction in his public approach towards resolving the conflict with the Palestinians, and approaching the magic formula: two states for two peoples.

Netanyahu is expected to announce that the government he heads is adopting what has already been entitled the self-evident solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: A final status arrangement that is based on two states.

As he announced yesterday, the prime minister will take advantage of the coming days to meet with “coalition leaders and other figures in the Israeli public.”

Along with this, Netanyahu will continue his talks with his coalition partners in order to strengthen the stability of his government.

Political sources estimate that it would not be surprising if in the coming days, reports appear in the media about a renewal of talks between senior Likud figures and their counterparts in Kadima, to examine the possibility of including this party in the government–if members of the government should withdraw from it.

In any case, Netanyahu is expected to describe in his speech the Palestinian state alongside which Israel will agree to live as a demilitarized political entity, while ensuring Israel’s security interests by a continued Israeli military presence at the crossings to Jordan.

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Dan Margalit in Israel Hayom:

Last night there was excitement, perhaps embarrassment, among Binyamin Netanyahu’s close associates. The two-sided pressure in advance of his intriguing speech at Bar Ilan University in six days is gaining momentum, and will peak over the weekend.

Avigdor Lieberman, Ehud Barak and Dan Meridor believe that he should adopt the “two states for two peoples” formula as part of the ratification of the road map.

Even if Netanyahu shares their opinion, he will do this at his own pace.

Not all at once.   This is so that he will not lose the public that supports him, in the long journey towards the formula at the end of the road map, but will rather reach the destination along with this public.

But it would be correct for him to make secondary use of several phrases that he has already tried out in the past, while adapting them to the new political reality.   No change should be expected in the content of his position, except for what can alleviate the “superficial pressures.”

True, Netanyahu is maintaining the right to silence until his speech, but senior ministers assess that he will approach the opening formula of the road map.   The Israeli timetable shows that messengers, representatives and envoys will act in the remaining days [until the speech] in order to soften part of the American opposition to the continued construction in the settlements, and thereby pave the prime minister’s way to the Bar Ilan campus.

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Reading all of this, our mind is focused on something that might be rather of essence more then just a superficial observation.

If President Obama spoke at the Cairo University,   and his man on the ground – his envoy Senator Mitchell – establishes his base in Jerusalem, why will his answer come from the religious Bar-Ilan University that is outside of Tel Aviv, and not from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem or the large Tel Aviv University? After all Obama picked the large Cairo University and clearly not at the religious Ein Shams University or the American University of Cairo, for very good reasons.