Still an open question
By Ted Belman
Rice said there would be no US bridging proposals. Livni said any future agreement on a Palestinian state would not be put into effect until Israel’s security is assured.
This begs the question of whether Israel will agree to a state in principal before its security is assured.
Susie Dym of Mattot Arim advises
Extremely important statement by FM Livni
Foreign Minister Livni made an extremely important statement today, according to Uri Yablonka at Maariv NRG. Livni bravely faced the US Sec’y of State and stated that Israel would not favor establishment of a Palestinian state immediately, despite American hopes, but only if and when Israel’s security is assured.
This is an important water-mark for Jewish organizations in the United States. Organizations have sometime said that although they sincerely understand the terrible danger of a new terror state just a bike-ride away from Tel-Aviv, Jerusalem and isolated Israel’s sole international airport, as seems to be the preference of Sec’y of State Rice, nonetheless, they cannot make statements pertaining to this terrible problem because this would mean going against the Israeli government. Livni’s statement has opened the door which now allows all American Jewish organizations to immediately come forward and strengthen Israel’s new resolve: not to set up a Palestinian state if doing so means setting up a new terror state.Will American Jewish organizations come through for Israel in this matter?? We believe they eventually will.
This statement also opens the door to Christian groups who have openly urged Israel to make this kind of statement, reassuring Israel that she would be backed by them if she did.
While Mattot Arim is right that this opens a window for North American groups to insist on security first, I am still against agreeing to a state in principal before security is established.
Livni is silent on this issue.
