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Netanyahu’s remarks show Israel ‘not ready’ for peace

Wednesday, 07 June 2017 8:30 AM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 07 June 2017 9:12 AM ]

Israeli forces stand guard in Jerusalem al-Quds' Damascus Gate on April 1, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

The Palestinian Authority has censured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent vow to maintain military control over all of the West Bank, saying the remarks show the regime is not prepared for the resolution of the decades-long conflict with Palestinians.

Speaking at a ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the Six-Day War, Netanyahu pledged that Israel will keep its grip on the West Bank in any cases.

“We seek peace with our neighbors, a real peace, a peace that will last for generations. That is why in any agreement -- and without an agreement -- we shall maintain security control over all the territory west of the Jordan River,” he said.

Nabil Abu Rudeina, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said in a statement on Tuesday that the remarks are destructive to crisis resolution efforts.

Netanyhau’s comments “seek to create a climate that makes the situation more complicated and are absolutely not aimed at supporting efforts for a solution,” Rudeina emphasized, noting, “They are a message to the US administration and to the international community that Israel is not ready to reach peace based on international law and resolutions.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Six-Day War, in Latrun on June 5, 2017. (Photo by Reuters)

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry accused the Israeli premier of seeking to “to cut off the momentum of US and international efforts to resume negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis.”

The Israeli premier had made similar statements late last month.

Read more:

Bibi: Israel must keep military grip on West Bank

Following a visit to the occupied territories in May, the US president said both Netanyahu and Abbas had “assured” him of their willingness to “reach for peace.”

The Six-Day War was fought on June 5-10, 1967 between the Israeli regime on the one side and Egypt, Jordan, and Syria on the other.

At the end of that war, Israel occupied the West Bank, East Jerusalem al-Quds, the Gaza Strip, and parts of the Golan Heights. Israel later withdrew from Gaza but lay a siege to it.

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