Benjamin Netanyahu secured a win as Israel’s new Prime Minister earlier this month and recanted a statement that no Palestinian state would be established on his watch. His post election assertions attempted to backtrack on this statement and appeal to the Obama administration; without success, reported AP. Netanyahu said he had not intended to completely deny the possibility of a two state solution to the existing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but rather, to say that is was impossible at this time. Netanyahu cited Palestinian leadership’s refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state and it’s alleged connected with the militant Islamist Hamas movement, as well as the rise of Islamic terrorism across the region. “I’m confused as to why the Prime Minister decided these pieces of information about the rise in supposed ‘Islamic’ terrorism had to do with a two state solution. If it were up to me, the Zionists of the Diaspora and those born under them would be displaced. Suggesting a two state solution is like stealing someone’s home and wanting to share the rooms with them. Actually, that’s exactly what this is,” said Sharouk Badir, a junior studying at the BYU Jerusalem Center. Badir is not alone in her sentiments. However, Netanyahu believes that the only way to a solution is “real negotiations with people who are committed to peace.”The New York Times reports President Obama waiting two whole days before phoning Netanyahu and congratulating him on his win due to the overall disappointment in the Prime Minister’s previous comments denying the possibility of a two state solution. Reports say Obama told Netanyahu directly the United States would have to “re-assess our options.”A formal account of the call made form the White House made no mention of the criticism, although it noted Obama’s goals for a “two state solution that results in a secure Israel alongside a sovereign and viable Palestine.”“Netanyahu has already damaged the trust of Washington, this whole thing about ‘changing his mind’ makes him an even more questionable leader,” said Alipate Craig, a senior accounting major from San Jose, Calif. In Israel reports of Netanyahu’s reversal of stances regarding a Palestinian state on the eve of election was largely regarded of a desperate appeal to win over votes from his opponents supporters. “Well it worked, and now we wait,” remarked Lanae Pitts, freshman hospitality and tourism major from Riverside, Calif. In Washington, many officials have long since been weary of Netanyahu’s failure to follow through on peace building efforts with Palestinians. Among others, President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority seized on Netanyahu’s original refusal for a two state solution and asserted that he, along with others of the Palestinian Authority, would continue to fight for the United Nations recognition of Palestinian statehood. Abbas also asserted his goals to use the International Criminal Court to press war crime charges against Israelis. Though Netanyahu’s statements in the past few weeks have contradicted themselves time and again, he said he was proud to be “prime minister of all of Israel’s citizens, Arabs and Jews alike.” Josh Earnest, White House secretary, speaking on the Netanyahu’s possible move for a two state solution said, “It’s pretty clear that Israel is no longer committed to that outcome, that pursuit.”Uploaded March 24, 2015
Writer: Morgynne Tora
