Netanyahu cancels a visit to the US
Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, decided to cancel a planned visit to the United States after he was informed that the US President, Barack Obama, will not be meeting him.
Banjamin Netanyahu - Image by AFP
Netanyahu was planning to visit the United States in order to participate in the AIPAC (American Israeli Public Affairs Committee) meeting.
Israel Army Radio reported Sunday the Netanyahu asked the Israeli president, Shimon Peres, to represent Israel in the meeting.
Israeli sources reported last week that Obama does not want to meet Netanyahu under the current conditions, and that Netanyahu’s lack of response to the Statements of Israeli Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, were explained as Israeli rejection to the two-state solution and to the Road Map peace plan.
The sources added that Obama intends to ask Israel to fulfill its commitments to the United States and the Road Map peace plan, especially regarding halting settlement activities in the occupied territories and adopting a two-state solution.
The Army Radio said that Netanyahu, who conditioned that the Palestinians must recognize Israel as a Jewish State, is now willing to hold non-conditional peace talks, and for the moment, will not demand the Palestinians to recognize Israel as a Jewish State.
On Sunday, Israeli online daily, Haaretz, said that the United States rejects the demand of Netanyahu that the Palestinians must recognize Israel as a Jewish State as a precondition to peace talks.
The US Department of State said that the country would push for a two-state solution, based on the Arab Peace Initiative and the Road Map Peace plan.
But Israeli Defense Minister, Ehud Barak of the Labor Party, stated Sunday that Israeli should present its own peace initiative.
His statement came during a meeting with Netanyahu, Lieberman, Israel’s National Security Advisor, Uzi Arad, and other senior Israeli officials.
Sources at the Israeli government said that Barak opposes the policies of Netanyahu behind closed doors, but is refraining from criticizing him in public.
But Haaretz also said that Barak, as a Labor party leader, is bound by the policy of his party which supports a two-state solution.
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