BICOM

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a delegation of US lawmakers yesterday that he is willing to travel to Ramallah to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, according to a Jerusalem Post source present during the meeting. The US delegation, made up of 27 Republican congressmen, asked Netanyahu if he had a message for Abbas, who they will meet later in the week. Netanyahu suggested they ask Abbas two questions: The first question related to Palestinian precondition not to negotiate with Israel until it halts settlement construction. His second question involved Israel’s identity as a Jewish state, “Ask Abu Mazen why he refuses to recognise the legitimacy of the Jewish state. I have recognised a Palestinian state, he [Abbas] should be able to recognise a Jewish state,” Netanyahu said, according to the Jerusalem Post source from the meeting. Netanyahu added that he is willing to invite Abbas to his home in Jerusalem or to travel to Abbas’s in Ramallah in order to meet.

Netanyahu also used the opportunity to speak to the US lawmakers about the importance of a US veto against the anticipated Palestinian bid for unilateral statehood at the United Nations Security Council in September. Netanyahu added that a UN vote for a Palestinian state would make a peace agreement difficult to negotiate and would harden Palestinian positions for many more years.

The PM also spoke about Iran’s nuclear programme, which he said continues to endanger Israel, the Middle East and the entire world. He praised US President Barack Obama for his sanctions against Iran, but said that such economic measures must be coupled with a credible military threat. “Iran is the largest danger standing before us today. It is what motivates the leading radical elements and leads to instability in the region. Its goal is to destroy any chance of democratic governance, peace and freedom in the Middle East,” Netanyahu said.