Original document shows Israel accepting return to ’67 borders, agreeing to consider Palestinian right of return on case by case basis; Netanyahu: I never agreed to these concessions. Bennett says he did.
By Itay Blumental, Roi Yanovsky, YNET
Zionist Union leader Tzipi Livni on Sunday slammed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “cowardly” response to a secret document of far-reaching concessions to the Palestinians, which was revealed over the weekend by Ynet and its sister print publication Yedioth Ahronoth.
When I see Netanyahu’s cowardly response, I understand why the Palestinians and Americans say they don’t believe him,” Livni said at an election event at the IDC Herzliya.
The document, dated August 2013, showed the extent to which Netanyahu had been willing to go to reach a peace agreement with the Palestinians.
The document was the culmination of years of secret negotiations between Netanyahu’s senior aide, lawyer Yitzhak Molcho, and Abbas associate Hussein Agha. It was meant to serve as basis for official talks launched at the time between Israel and the Palestinians under the auspices of US Secretary of State John Kerry.
Livni, who headed Israel’s negotiating team during the last round of peace talks with the Palestinians, also had criticism towards the Palestinian leadership. “Sometimes, your partner is not much, and I have criticism against (Palestinian President) Abbas, who didn’t respond to the American outline.”
Meanwhile, Likud Minister Yuval Steinitz criticized the publication of the document, saying it was a “manipulation,” and “fabricated in the way it was presented,” noting neither Netanyahu nor Molcho agreed to the principles outlined.
“The objective is to move votes from the Likud to Bayit Yehudi and Shas, in order to pave Tzipi Livni and Isaac Herzog’s way to the premiership. I regret that Bennett and Lieberman are playing along with this,” Steinitz added.
The document, titled “Draft Proposal for Statement of Principles Towards a Permanent Arrangement,” notes Israel’s willingness to withdraw to the 1967 borders with land swaps, acknowledges the legitimacy of Palestinian aspirations in East Jerusalem, and grants them a hold in the Jordan Valley.
In the document, the prime minister even opens the door to the possibility of the return of Palestinian refugees to Israel on an individual basis, the evacuation of Jewish settlers from the West Bank and the option of leaving some of the Israeli settlements and its residents under Palestinian rule.
Netanyahu was hit with criticism from both the right and left over the weekend for the surprising concessions offered, and for the gaps between his public statements and what was happening behind closed doors.
The prime minister, however, claimed that he never signed off on the concessions detailed in the document.
“I have never agreed to divide Jerusalem, never agreed to return to the ’67 lines, never agreed to acknowledge the right of return, never agreed to concede our presences in the Jordan Valley, never,” he said at a political gathering in Yehud.
“This is nonsense. This is an attempt to obtain an American draft that I said from the beginning I would oppose clauses that were not acceptable to me, like these clauses. The reality is that no prime minister insisted as I did on a united Jerusalem, on construction, on settlement.”
Itamar Eichner and Yuval Karni contributed to this report.
@ bernard ross:
Dagan was and is a most vicious enemy of our people and state. We saw on his eyes as Sharon, I hope by error, arguably the worse of many, promoted the treacherous snake to head the Mosad.
He intentionally prevented the elimination of Iran’s nuclear plans against us. He must be brought before freely elected courts and when found guilty, publicly executed. It is not by chance that the item is part of the Obama-Livni-Herzog gang.
@ bernard ross:
#’s 15-19
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krD4hdGvGHM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Qf6Sv3A9zs
the CIA’s man in Libya. I thought he headed a rival militia to the gov but now he appears to have melded into gov.
also:
http://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-presidential-adviser-whole-mideast-is-iranian/
SHmuel HaLevi 2 Said:
I read that he advised 3 pm’s not to attack Israel but to rely on the US. If that is correct then he could be the main person behind the mess that Israel is in today.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/320075#.VP4Y0_nF-So
yamit82 Said:
lets hope the arab spring is not an elaborate deception to trick Israel into thinking there is an Iran Arab Proxy war while assembling forces with a fig leaf. 🙁
“THE ART OF WAR”
“Only stupid leader lays out true strategy!
All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to
attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must
seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the
enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make
him believe we are near. Hold Out Baits To Entice The
Enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him.”
– Sun Tzu, the Art of War
@ woolymammoth:
Not a new idea but if the State of Israel declares that they do not want Y&S then the idea could become operational.
PM Netanyahu: no withdrawals or concessions
Anyone believe BB???????
Perhaps Judea and Samaria should become the second Jewish state. Let the combina stay in Israel.
This is far more than a comment.
Mr. Bennett and Channel 7 are actively exposing the following as well.
This is then a true HEADS UP for Jewish people here and everywhere.
A few days ago there was an assembly of the renegade unJews led by Obama-Livni-Hertzog. That took place at the Kings of Israel Plaza in Tel Aviv. Kikar Malchei Israel. During the 30K or so gathering, hatred against Jews was the theme of the hour. Virulent hatred at that.
That is not new on itself since Rabin-Peres and company Oslo times, hatred was the major in their plans. Peace was the hijacked label they used, while their real purpose was to import Arafat to murder Jews and destroy Heritage in their behalf.
What is new is that the unJews now post their hatred and intents in the open. Both the Livni and Hertzog were at the gathering and tacitly condoned it. (See Mr. Bennett’s comments on Channel 7).
One Meri Dagan, a Sharon appointee to head the Mossad,
was there also vomiting poison.
Let it be known that I was at the meeting when that snake was appointed by Sharon and saw the miserable creature’s shifty eyes and obviously negative intent plain and clear even then. Spare me the “how dare’s” and such.
That is a very bad dude and to no small extent he caused the Mosad to become a far less relevant institution today.
Dagan intentionally allowed Iran to advance its nuclear plans while pretending to represent security for Israel.
The Jewish people must prepare for self defense as that caterva will openly attack Jews using one or another of their operatives.
@ yamit82:
The “combina” is beyond repairs. It has been set up to serve the “ishuvniks” from the word go. That is what all know are the self promoted elites… or 18 + 300.
As it is today only a miracle will prevent Netanyahu to again betray the voters. And while we are in miracle dependent form, also only a miracle will stop Iran. Netanyahu will NOT do a thing other than speeching.
As we have been advocating for, the people must either demolish the Golem passing as “Israeli demokratiahhh”, or accept our doom in the hands of the garbage inserted as leaders.
@ SHmuel HaLevi 2:
At the very least MK party jumpers should not in any case be able to take their election shekel allocation with them. The money should remain with the party they are leaving. i think it comes to 1.3-1.5 million shekels. Money is always critical.
@ yamit82:
Before elections and post election votes selling is one form of rip off in common use here.
Once elected, like Livni and Sharon did massively, they simple take, buy, hire already elected MK’s from one or more “parties” and form a new… party for their purposes.
Sharon and Livni stole already elected Likud MK’s, 13 of them I believe and formed. “kadima”. They also ripped off voters from other parties as well.
Viva la democracia Israeli… caramba! LOL
@ yamit82:
Yamit:
Like most American Jews, I had been unaware of such Israeli election practices as you have described here. So I am grateful to you for that information.
My earlier comments, about democracy in general and the need to assist Mr Netanyahu however possible in terms of Israel’s vital need for a coalition that will stand up against pressure from Washington, stand as I wrote them. None of us can guarantee that Mr Netanyahu will take actions needed to achieve real Jewish control over Shomron and Yehuda. But any government other than one he could assemble at this time should be regarded by all of us as contrary to the well-being of Israel and of the Jewish nation.
Arnold Harris
Mount Horeb WI
@ SHmuel HaLevi 2:
Israeli democracy like no other!!! 🙂
There exists in Israel an anti-democratic practice of vote trading among political parties that is called “surplus votes agreements.” In any real democracy these would be prohibited. They work the following way: suppose that Party A receives enough votes for, say, 10 Knesset seats plus a “surplus” of 5000 votes beyond what was necessary for those 10 seats. If the party has a “surplus agreement” with Party B, then these 5000 votes may be transferred to Party B to allow that party to squeeze in one extra Knesset seat for itself. Or the surplus votes from Party B can similarly be given to Party A for an extra seat. Parties signing such deals tend to be from similar ideological orientations, such as two Orthodox religious parties.
Let us emphasize that the “deals” are patently undemocratic. If I vote for a party, my vote does not become a tradable market asset that this party can sell in the marketplace to someone else, in effect making me vote for that OTHER party against my will. If I wanted to vote for that other party then I would have done so myself. I am not aware of any other democracy where such vote commerce operates.
Nevertheless it is instructive to see which parties strike deals with which parties.
For the past few weeks Meretz has been attempting desperately to negotiate such a “surplus votes” deal with the United Arab List, which is a merger between jihadist and Stalinist smaller parties united only by their hatred of Jews and Israel. In the end the surplus deal failed to go through because the jihadists were unwilling to sign with Meretz. I guess Meretz was too anti-Israel even for them. The fact that Meretz was so anxious to have a deal with the Stalinist-fascists is highly instructive. Had the deal gone through, every person voting for Meretz would have known that his or her vote could actually end up going to elect Stalinist or jihadist anti-Semites to the Knesset, including Haneen Zoabi.
socialjusticefirst.files.wordpress.com
@ SHmuel HaLevi 2:
SHL:
I accept your response in the spirit of graciousness in which I think you must have intended. I sincerely hope Mr Netanyahu shall be able to assemble a coalition comprising all the Jewish nationalist, Jewish religious, and Jewish technocratic elements can join together in a harmonious government that will carefully study the needs to accomplish the following:
1) Continue the rapid (6 per cent per annum) growth of the Jewish population of Area C, with full understanding that a Jewish population impossible to be moved is the only factor that ultimately renders impossible the permanent alienation of all of Shomron and Yehuda, which would fall under tightened control of an enemy government whose arrogance and hatefulness would be hardened by the legitimacy they would be awarded by most of the world’s governments.
2) As soon as feasible, change the Israeli control status of Area C and all its inhabitants from military to civil, a status which, over time, almost always leads to de facto if not de jure recognition of sovereignty.
3) Begin separate negotiations with the Arab urban clans (hamulas) and other notable Arab families of the 7-8 major cities of Shomron and Yehuda, aimed at establishing separate local autonomy agreements with them. And in a parallel but related process, begin choking off contacts with and financial support of the Fatah-based quasi-government in Ramallah, the result of which would replace their rule with that of the local hamulas. That, along with Step 2 and Step 3, shall render an independent Fatah state in Shomron and Yehuda as impossible of achievement.
4) Come to an understanding that no matter what promises are made to Israel by the United States or any other foreign government, that none of them ever will mount a military attack against Iran to stop that country from enriching uranium to weapons-grade level and actually constructing and stockpiling nuclear weapons with warheads fabricated from those enriched uranium materials. If a military attack must be mounted, it will in fact have to be Israel alone, possibly with strong encouragement from local Arab states frightened by the growing regional threats of ayatollist Iran; but little else than that.
5) Comprehend clearly and fully that Israel cannot long continue its long-held status as a sort of Middle East Jewish lackey of the now-fading US imperium. Israeli trade, political and possibly joint defense arrangements should be sought with powerful states such as Russia, China, and India, as well as such relations with Arab and other Moslem governments such as Egypt, Trans-Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, the emerging Kurdish national entity, and Orthodox Christian states such as Greece, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Romania.
6) Come to understand that Israel, like any other independent society, has no permanent friends, but only permanent interests; and that this is true regardless of large-scale support in the USA from members of one of this country’s two main political parties. Speeches on the floor of a great legislative body are comforting, but cannot necessarily be counted upon to be backed by action when and if Israel is involved in a war.
Arnold Harris
Mount Horeb WI
@ ArnoldHarris:
I am very reluctant adherent to democracy myself. In particular in this age when manipulating in mass scale is SOP.
The Likud is very likely to win the election and our poll will not be far from the end results.
Netanyahu cannot be expected to at least try to be Netanyahu… And that is the question.
Routinely the voters decisions are denied by the false leadership.
@ SHmuel HaLevi 2:
SHL:
Your choice, and that of all Israel just nine days from now, is one of two clearcut alternatives. One choice is a Knesset coalition presided over by Binyamin Netanyahu. The other choice is a Knesset coalition presided over by the tag team of Yitzchak Herzog and Tzipi Livni.
Netanyahu is less than ideal for the post of prime minister of Israel, but nevertheless has shown strength of character in confronting Mr Obama and his policies that threaten Israel. Herzog and Livni will set in motion the fall of the State of Israel.
Therefore, I regard every word that you write against Netanyahu, at this time and under the present circumstances, as drops of poison, of the type that seemingly for thousands of years have killed off all serious efforts to unite the Jewish nation with a common policy based on national unity.
And all this is yet another reason, totally applicable to Zionism in particular, that I have grown to general distrust of democracy.
Arnold Harris
Mount Horeb WI
Lets take a vote among us in the Blog. Did he or did he not approve it.
A. I say that he, as usual, skirted the agreement, but did not sign in.
He will, given half a chance.
Fortunately for the future of the Jewish state and the Jewish nation, Fatah and Hamas will never agree to recognize a Jewish state in what they consider undivided Falastin, regardless of how many Jewish government leaders and other Jewish notables lay down flat on their bellies and crawl forward begging acceptance at almost any price.
That is an Arab characteristic for which I always have admired them, and for which I despise any Jew who fails to comport his or her self in similar steadfast demeanor and action.
At this stage of the drama, with the Knesset election just nine days away, I really do not give a damn whether Mr Netanyahu signed or did not sign a document giving away all Jewish national rights in Shomron and Yehuda. All I care about during the next nine days is making certain that the Israeli leftists as led by Labor + Livni shall not be handed the power to begin the process of destroying the Jewish State of Israel. That requires a rightist and Jewish religious coalition led by Mr Netanyahu. Because if he cannot do that, then your lords and masters will have become George Soros, Barack Hussein Obama, John Kerry and the rest of their pack of gravediggers of the United States of America. If they get the opportunity, they surely will not rest unless and until they destroy you.
So, if all of you on Israpundit are as smart as I think you are, you will all shut up about Mr Netanyahu’s shortcomings and treat him as though he were your temporary Likud mashiach. That’s just how serious all this is at this point in time. Coalesce on behalf of Israel and the Jewish nation, and drop everything else until after the election.
Arnold Harris
Mount Horeb WI