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Resenting Israel, Not Netanyahu

(Commentary) Jonathan S. Tobin - When Sarkozy and Obama grouse about Netanyahu, what really annoys them is his inherent skepticism about the peace process. Netanyahu has a long record of attempts to conciliate the Palestinians in order to make peace. During his first term as prime minister in the 1990s he signed two agreements conceding parts of the West Bank to the Palestinian Authority. He enacted a settlement-building freeze in the West Bank during his current administration and formally endorsed the idea of a Palestinian state. But despite all of this, Netanyahu has never consented to playing the familiar game in which the onus for peace is placed only on Israel to make concessions and not the Palestinians. Netanyahu has insisted on pointing out the failures of the Palestinians to abide by their Oslo commitments. Rather than meekly nod along when Obama or Sarkozy speak of the need for Israel to relinquish territory, Netanyahu has had the chutzpah to publicly talk back to them about Israel's rights and not just its immediate security needs. Any Israeli who speaks in this manner, which necessarily complicates the efforts of the peace processers to ignore the Palestinians' reluctance to make peace, is not going to be liked.
2011-11-11 00:00:00
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