Israel will continue to block weapons from Syria to Hezbollah, insists Netanyahu

Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that his government will not allow Hezbollah and Iran to open a new front against Israel on the Golan Heights, and will continue to block the transfer of weapons from Syria to the Lebanese militia. The Israeli prime minister made his comments during a diplomatic conference organised by the Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.

“To say that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the source of violence in the Middle East is absurd,” Netanyahu added. “It has always been ridiculous and it is particularly so today.”

He told the audience that peace negotiations with the Palestinians should lead to Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state. “I am willing to start negotiations without preconditions, but I will not finish the negotiations before the Palestinians accept Israel as a Jewish state.”

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has declared repeatedly his refusal to recognise Israel as a Jewish state. The so-called peace talks came to a standstill in April last year.

The Palestinians want Israel to halt settlements construction and release the fourth and final batch of veteran prisoners in order to resume negotiations. They also insist on a Palestinian state on the borders of June, 1967 with its capital in East Jerusalem, to be established within a specific timeframe.