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Netanyahu: Way to Peace Is Through Negotiations, Not Unilateral Steps

[Prime Minister's Office] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Saban Forum on Sunday: "The way to achieve peace is through negotiations, cooperation and the agreement of both sides....There is no substitute for negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and any unilateral attempt outside that framework will unravel the existing agreements between us, and could entail unilateral steps by Israel." "The Goldstone report is a clear threat to peace in our region. Achieving a final peace settlement with the Palestinians will require territorial compromise. But how can Israel vacate additional territories if we cannot defend ourselves against attacks from that territory? Be assured that this UN report is not Israel's problem alone. It threatens to handcuff all states fighting terrorism. For if terrorists believe that the international community will justify their crimes when they fire on civilians while hiding behind civilians, they will employ this tactic again and again." "A responsible government should always seek to minimize civilian casualties in territories controlled by the enemy. But they also have an obligation to defend their citizens....The responsibility for the unintended civilian casualties such an operation entails should be place squarely on the terrorists and not on the defending government."
2009-11-16 06:00:00
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