May 16, 2016

Netanyahu: French Initiative Gives Palestinians “Escape Hatch” to Avoid Negotiations – Tovah Lazaroff
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the cabinet on Sunday that the French peace initiative gave the Palestinians an opportunity to evade direct negotiations. “Any other process [like the French initiative] just pushes peace farther away and gives the Palestinians an escape hatch to avoid confronting the root of the conflict, which is the recognition of the state of Israel [as a Jewish state],” Netanyahu said. He added that Israel’s historical experience is that direct talks do lead to peace, as occurred with Egypt and Jordan. Netanyahu spoke following a meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean Marc Ayrault. (Jerusalem Post)