Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names and political terminology. Comments are in parentheses.

 

Palestinian Reactions to Netanyahu's Speech:

Racist, Deadly Blow to Peace, Ignores Legitimate Rights of the Palestinian People

Top PLO negotiator: Netanyahu wants to dictate his own solution

Date: 15 / 06 / 2009  Time:  12:02
Bethlehem - Ma'an -

Chief Palestinian Negotiator Dr Saeb Erakat on Sunday said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech at Bar-Ilan University set further preconditions for negotiations and, in effect, announced Israel’s intention to unilaterally dictate a solution, rather than negotiate a peace.

"Benjamin Netanyahu spoke about negotiations, but left us with nothing to negotiate as he systematically took nearly every permanent status issue off the table. Nor did he accept a Palestinian state; instead, he announced a series of conditions and qualifications that render a viable, independent and sovereign Palestinian state impossible," Dr Erakat said.

"He blamed Palestinians for their own occupation, and then imposed a set of preconditions for negotiations that demand Palestinians give up their inalienable rights and surrender their national aspirations for a sovereign and independent Palestinian state," Erekat added.

"He failed to engage with the Arab Peace Initiative and its promise of regional peace. In this sense, his call to meet with Arab leaders was vacuous," he said.

"And he failed to set the stage for negotiations: there was no acceptance of the two-state solution, no announcement of a comprehensive settlement freeze including all natural growth, and no intention to lift all restrictions on Palestinian movement, including an end to Israel’s siege on Gaza," Erekat said.

“This speech fell far short of every single one of the benchmarks required of Israel in line with international law and existing agreements, including the Road Map. Palestinians will not be alone in their disappointment over Benjamin Netanyahu’s failure to show himself to be a genuine partner for peace," Erekat added.

"Netanyahu demonstrated that he lacks even the most basic understanding of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The Palestinian struggle for statehood is based on the denial of our fundamental rights and freedoms under occupation, and the outstanding historical grievances of 1948," Dr Erakat concluded.

Hamas: Netanyahu's speech reflected his racism

Date: 15 / 06 / 2009  Time:  08:43
Gaza – Ma’an –

The Hamas movement described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech on Sunday evening as reflective of his inherent racism.

The movement dismissed Netanyahu's demand that Palestinians "recognize Palestine as pure Jewish land, denying the Palestinian people any rights on their land."

Palestinians generally dismiss recognizing Israel as a "Jewish state," due to the fact that about one quarter of the country's population is either Muslim or Christian.

In a statement commenting on Netanyahu's speech, Hamas said all the Israeli leader offered was a Palestinian state without identity and sovereignty, without Jerusalem, and without the right of return for Palestinian refugees.

Instead, according to the Hamas statement, Netanyahu insisted on keeping settlements and offering the Arab world only economic peace in return for normalization and recognition of Israel.

“Netanyahu attempted to play with words in order to mislead people, claiming he wants peace. However, his racial attitudes, when he stipulates that the Palestinians recognize Palestine as a land for the Jews, indicate that Netanyahu is a liar when he talks about peace. This speech increased hatred and spitefulness,” Hamas said.

Consequently, Hamas called on the Palestinian Authority to halt coordination with Israel and reassess its positions vis-a-vis the occupation.

Meanwhile, Chief Palestinian Negotiator Dr Saeb Erakat said that Netanyahu’s speech at Bar-IIan University set further preconditions for negotiations and, in effect, announced Israel’s intention to unilaterally dictate a solution, rather than negotiate a peace.

“Benjamin Netanyahu spoke about negotiations, but left us with nothing to negotiate as he systematically took nearly every permanent status issue off the table. Nor did he accept a Palestinian state; instead, he announced a series of conditions and qualifications that render a viable, independent and sovereign Palestinian state impossible,” Dr Erakat said.

“He blamed Palestinians for their own occupation, and then imposed a set of preconditions for negotiations that demand Palestinians give up their inalienable rights and surrender their national aspirations for a sovereign and independent Palestinian state,” Erekat added.

Abu Rodeina: "Netanyahu's speech, a deadly blow to peace"

Monday June 15, 2009 03:04 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Nabil Abu Rodeina, spokesperson of the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, stated Sunday that the speech of Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, regarding peace in the Middle East, is disappointing and a deadly blow to the peace process.

Nabil Abu Rodeina - Image, Radio Sawa

Abu Rodeina added that this 'right wing speech' sabotaged the efforts to achieve peace, and violated the basis of the peace process as Netanyahu said that Jerusalem will be the eternal united capital of Israel, and rejected the Right of Return of the Palestinian refugees.

Abu Rodeina added that Netanyahu did not call for peace but instead he set his terms and preconditions.

He also said that Netanyahu sabotaged all peace initiatives, including the Arab peace initiative and the American attempts to achieve peace.

The positions of Netanyahu will not lead to real peace and justice" the spokesperson said, "What he said is not enough, and will not lead to peace".

Palestinian Labor Minister, Ahmad Majdalani, said that this speech did not present any positive aspect, and does not even provide a foundation for resuming peace talks.

Majdalani added that while Netanyahu called on the Arabs to normalize with Israel, and encouraged the settlers to continue their violations in Jerusalem and the West Bank.

It is worth mentioning that Hamas and several Palestinian factions slammed the speech of Netanyahu and called for halting all talks with Israel.

Hamas said that the speech was racist and denies the basic rights of the Palestinian people.

Hamas: "Netanyahu's speech racist, ignores the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people"

Monday June 15, 2009 02:43 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, said that the speech of Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is racist as he demanded the Palestinians to recognize the land of Palestinian"as a land for the Zionists".

Hamas also said that the speech ignored the historic Arab and Palestinian rights in their homeland.

"What Netanyahu offered is a state without identity, without sovereignty, without Jerusalem and without the Right of Return of the Palestinian refugees", Hamas stated, "He wants this state to be demilitarized, and wants to keep the settlements on our land, hewants economic peace with the Palestinians after they recognize Israel as a Zionist state".

The movement added that Netanyahu's statements are "racist" as he insisted that the Palestinian recognize the Zionist entity on their historic land, and ignored the Palestinian rights in Jerusalem

Hamas also said that this speech encourages hatred.

The movement called on the Palestinian Authority and the Arab countries to stop "chasing the mirage of peace talks", and called on the Arab world not to hold talks with Israel

Hamas further called on the West Bank Authority, headed by Mahmoud Abbas, to stop the security coordination with Israel.

Barghouthi: Netanyahu's speech to circumvent Obama's speech

 [ 14/06/2009 - 03:35 PM ]

RAMALLAH, (PIC)--

MP Dr. Mustafa Al-Barghouthi has charged that the speech of Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu would attempt to circumvent the American president Barack Obama's speech in Cairo and put hurdles in face of any positive developments displayed in that speech.

Barghouthi, the secretary general of the national initiative party, said in a press statement on Sunday that what Netanyahu would say would destroy any hope for just peace.

He pointed to what has been leaked that Netanyahu would refuse freezing settlement activity and would reject any negotiations on occupied Jerusalem. He added that the premier would also seek to win normalization with the Arab countries without ending occupation or establish the fully sovereign Palestinian state.

The MP said that Netanyahu was returning to the old policy of former premier Ariel Sharon through imposing impractical conditions to deepen the Palestinian rift then claim that there was no Palestinian partner for peace talks.

For his part, Ahmed Al-Tibi, a member of the Israeli parliament, said that Netanyahu's address would not carry any political breakthrough but would rather "play with words" in order to evade American pressure in the issue of the two-state solution and settlement activity.

He expected Netanyahu to declare commitment to the American roadmap plan and maybe the term Palestinian state but with his conditions that it should be without any real sovereignty leaving Israel to control borders and without control on its natural resources or air space.

Tibi expected Netanyahu to refuse freezing the settlement drive, and hoped that the Obama administration would not fall in Netanyahu's trap.

Hamas: Netanyahu’s speech is racist

[ 15/06/2009 - 11:37 AM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

The Hamas Movement said on Sunday that Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech was racist when demanding the Palestinian people to proclaim their land of Palestine a pure Jewish state and to renounce their right to this land, highlighting that such statements make the Palestinian people more adherent to their rights.

In a statement issued following the speech delivered by the Israeli premier and a copy of which was received by the PIC, Hamas stressed that Netanyahu spoke about a Palestinian state without identity, sovereignty, the holy city, the right of return or army, and insisted on the expansion of settlements.

It added that the Israeli premier presented to the Arabs a mere economic peace in return for normalizing relations with his entity and recognizing his occupation state.

The statement underlined that Netanyahu tried to use some deceptive words about his desire for peace, but his racist positions especially his demand for a prior recognition of Israel as a "Jewish" state and his denial of the Palestinian people’s right to Jerusalem and return to their land are evidence that he pretends to incline to peace.

In the same context, Dr. Ahmed Bahar, the acting speaker of the PLC said Sunday, in a statement received by the PIC, that Netanyahu’s speech was impudent and full of words of threats against the Palestinian people and superiority over the Arab and Muslim Nation.

Dr. Bahar added that Netanyahu’s remarks unveiled that some Arabs are deluded by peace allegations and its failed projects, and confirmed that the resistance is the only way to restore the usurped Palestinian rights.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the right-wing Israeli premier, stated Sunday evening in a speech at the university of Bar Ilan that his government could accept a Palestinian state as long as it has no military force and recognizes Israel as the state of the Jewish people.

For its part, the popular front for the liberation of Palestine (PFLP) said Monday that Netanyahu’s call for recognizing the Jewish state, his denial of the Palestinian rights, his allegation that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital, his refusal to withdraw to 1967 borders and his talk about a demilitarized Palestinian state make the peace offered to the Palestinians “peace of slaves" and their state an “Israeli colony”.

The PFLP underscored that Netanyahu was scoffing at the Arab leaders and their peace initiative, and disdained the US administration’s calls for ending settlement activities when he talked about security, economic and political relations with Arabs while his government still imposes siege on the Palestinians and practices different kinds of violations against them, their lands and the holy places in Jerusalem.

Mubarak: Netanyahu's speech complicates situation in region

 2009-06-15 20:20:24  

    CAIRO, June 15 (Xinhua) --

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said on Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech, which called for recognition of Israel as a Jewish state, will complicate situation and throttle peace hopes in the region.

    "The proposal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state complicates the situation further," the official Nile TV quoted Mubarak as saying.

    The president made the remarks while attending a military ceremony with the army's special forces.

    "The Middle East will be a scene of unrest if there is no comprehensive peace," he said, adding "the solution to the major problems of the Arab and Islamic worlds is through Jerusalem."

    "Netanyahu's call for changing the Arab (Peace) Initiative to drop the refugees' right to return will not receive support from Egypt or elsewhere," he said.

    "I have told the Israeli prime minister and U.S. President (Barack) Obama that the negotiations should start from where it ended without any delay," he added.

    Meanwhile, Egypt's foreign ministry said in a statement that Israeli prime minister's view which is "not complete" needs to be "developed."

    "Egypt hopes to hear different Israeli proposal which is built on the commitment to the two-state solution," it said.

    On Sunday evening, Netanyahu declared in a keynote speech that he was prepared to see the establishment of a Palestinian state, so long as the international community could guarantee it does not have any military capabilities.

Editor: Bi Mingxin

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