Netanyahu: The UN resolution will not change anything on the ground

Israeli reports quoted the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as saying that the decision to give Palestine observer status at the United Nations will not change anything on the ground. Nor will it accelerate the establishment of a Palestinian state, but will complicate it further. He pointed out that the Palestinian state would only be established under Israeli conditions.

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During a visit to the so-called “Begin Heritage Centre”, marking 35 since the visit of the Egyptian President Anwar Sadat to Israel, Netanyahu said that Israel always extends its hand for peace, but “a Palestinian state won’t be established without recognizing Israel as a state for the Jewish people. There will be no establishment of a Palestinian state without the announcement of the end to the conflict, and there will be no establishment of a Palestinian state without real security arrangements to protect Israel and its citizens.”

Netanyahu added that Israel’s demands are not mentioned in the proposed resolution submitted to the General Assembly of the United Nations, nor does it include security arrangements for Israel, or the recognition of Israel as the state of the Jewish people, or a declaration of the end of the conflict. According to Netanyahu, the above mentioned are just some of the reasons why he rejects this resolution.

He also stressed that peace can be achieved in only one way, which is the direct negotiations between the parties without preconditions, and not via unilateral decisions at the United Nations, which do not take into account the survival and security needs of Israel.

He continued: “peace can be achieved through reaching an agreement between Jerusalem and Ramallah, and not by unilateral statements made at the United Nations.”

He was also quoted as saying that “no force in the world could make him compromise on Israel’s security.”