Senior Israeli official says Netanyahu's policy is obstacle to peace

An Israeli official from Jerusalem told Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper on Tuesday that “the Netanyahu government is leading Israel towards a disaster”. The official spoke on condition of anonymity. He warned that the Israeli government is ignoring the wishes of the whole world and avoiding peace with the Palestinians. He added that this will not be to Israel’s benefit.

“The prime minister disregards the entire world,” the official said. “He is not interested in the Palestinians, but this will all blow up in our faces. If Netanyahu refuses to return to the negotiation table after the January elections, Israel will lose the world,” he added.

---

Referring to the effect of the political changes in the Arab world and the international community, the official warned that Israel is going to be isolated, with only the US standing beside it.

“What happened at the UN, when the US remained alone, will not repeat itself. Europe has had enough. Should the Islamic countries declare a boycott against Israel, the whole world will follow suit.”

The official criticised Netanyahu’s settlement policy, considering it to be the main obstacle to a resumption of the peace process. “You can’t go wild and announce construction in east Jerusalem every other day at a time when peace talks are stalled. The Arabs consider this an attempt to Judaise Jerusalem and they will not let it pass,” he noted.

Regarding Netanyahu’s current focus, the newspaper quoted the official as saying, “Benjamin Netanyahu wants to go down in history with only one thing – Iran.”