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Netanyahu flies to Singapore as Haaretz reveals secret 2016 peace summit
Israel’s Prime Minister arrived in Singapore this morning after details emerged yesterday of a secret summit he attended in 2016 to restart talks with the Palestinians.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that a meeting took place in Aqaba in February 2016 attended by John Kerry, Prime Minister Netanyahu, Egyptian President Sisi and Jordan’s King Abdullah. Kerry is said to have initiated the meeting where he presented six principles that were later announced in his December 2016 speech.
Netanyahu confirmed that the summit took place but he told ministers at the weekly Cabinet meeting yesterday that he initiated the summit. US and Israeli sources said that Netanyahu rejected Kerry’s principles but proposed his own five-point plan to launch a regional peace process and restart talks with the Palestinians.
Netanyahu’s plan included Israeli approval of large-scale Palestinian construction in Area C of the West Bank, infrastructure investment in Gaza and a construction freeze in isolated West Bank settlements in return for American approval of construction in the large settlement blocs. Netanyahu offered to negotiate the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative in return for a public summit he would attend with senior officials from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other Sunni States.
After the February summit, Opposition leader Isaac Herzog began extensive negotiations with Prime Netanyahu about joining the Government. Herzog said he spoke with Kerry and Sisi and engaged in lengthy talks. Yesterday he said ‘history will judge the magnitude of the opportunity as well as the magnitude of the missed opportunity.’
Netanyahu and Herzog were not able to reach an agreement in May 2016, instead Avigdor Lieberman and his Yisrael Beitenu party entered Government to strengthen the coalition.
The revelations of the summit and Netanyahu’s plan led to furious reactions from across the political spectrum. Zionist Union MK Ksenia Svetlova accused the Prime Minister of having no diplomatic plan and no vision. Jewish Home MK Bezalel Smotrich said the report emphasised the important role of his party to ‘safeguard the State of Israel and prevent adventures.’