Netanyahu rejects any imposed peace that does not allow for Israel's security

Hopes for the proposed peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority have been hit by claims that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not accept any peace agreement imposed on his country by the United States. Ha’aretz newspaper quotes Israeli political sources which say that Mr. Netanyahu “will not accept a Middle East peace agreement that is imposed on it by external forces”.

The Ha’aretz report also mentioned that Mr. Netanyahu laid great stress on the importance of security measures in “any future peace deal”. If it doesn’t, he said, it “will not be accepted”. According to the report, the Israeli PM said that the main issue being dealt with, in the context of all agreements made since Oslo, is the issue of Israel’s security and the need to stop the firing of rockets into Israel.

Ha’aretz pointed out that Netanyahu’s comments were made following reports from Washington that President Barack Obama is considering the possibility of submitting a new American Middle East peace plan by this autumn. The plan will be based around past negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, especially “the agreement that was nearly reached at Camp David in 2000”.