Netanyahu: We support Palestinian 'minus-state, autonomy-plus' solution

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday said that the “possible” solution for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is granting the Palestinians “all the powers to govern themselves and none of the powers to threaten us [Israel].”

Speaking at the General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America held in the Israeli capital of Tel Aviv, Netanyahu stressed on his country’s full support to what he called a Palestinian “state-minus, autonomy-plus” solution in the West Bank, with Israel preserving its total security control over the West Bank and the Jordan River.

The only reason the West Bank had not become a Hamas-controlled territory like the Gaza Strip, the Israeli leader pointed out, was because of the ongoing Israeli military presence across the territory.

In response to Netanyahu’s remarks, the spokesperson of the Palestinian Authority (PA), Nabil Abu Rudeineh, said that Israel was “determined to destroy any chances of peace.”

“There will be no peace or security without the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital,” Rudeineh stressed, adding: “Looking for excuses to evade the obligations of the peace process and the international resolutions will only lead to more violence, tension, destruction and instability.”

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