During a speech before the UN General Assembly on Thursday, the Palestinian president urged the worldwide community to exert greater effort than before to establish a truly independent Palestinian state, as the 50th anniversary of Israel’s “abhorrent” occupation approaches in June next year. Netanyahu has long favored direct negotiations with Palestinians.
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“Israel must recognise the state of Palestine and put an end to its occupation of our land so the state of Palestine can co-exist alongside the state of Israel in peace and security as good neighbours”, he said.
Nevertheless, Netanyahu predicted, “Israel has a bright future at the United Nations“.
Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the UN General Assembly at UN headquarters on September 22, 2016 in New York City.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has asked Britain to tender an unconditional apology for 1917 Balfour Declaration which endorsed foundation of a Jewish homeland on the Palestnian lands.
“And what about the joke called the U.N. Human Rights Council, which each year condemns Israel more than all the countries of the world combined”.
Netanyahu pointed out that “more and more nations see Israel as a potent partner”, and predicted that change will come soon. “The days when United Nations ambassadors reflexively condemn Israel, those days are coming to an end”.
“World leaders increasingly appreciate that Israel is a powerful country with one of the best intelligence services on earth”, Netanyahu said.
As the 50th anniversary of Israel’s occupation approaches in June, Abbas urged the 193-member General Assembly to declare 2017 “the global year to end the Israeli occupation of our land and our people”.
Despite Netanyahu’s attempts to convince the world that the settlements are not an obstacle to peace, the Quartet on the Middle East reiterated its strong opposition to Israel’s settlement activity: “The acceleration of settlement construction is eroding the viability of the two-state solution”.
In his speech, Abbas accused Israel of “continuing to evade” the global conference proposed by France.
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“What the Israeli government is doing in its pursuit of its expansionist settlement plans will destroy whatever possibility and hopes are left of the two-state solution on the 1967 borders”, he said. He said Abbas’ “dangerous words” were “a ticking time-bomb” that would lead to more attacks against Israel. “The Palestinian youth listening to his speech today will be the terrorists of tomorrow”.
