BICOM

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave an impromptu Knesset speech yesterday in which he reiterated his desire to reach a meaningful peace agreement, but highlighted the challenge posed by Iran to making this a reality.

Israeli and Palestinian Authority delegations have held several rounds of peace talks since July, although few details of the negotiations have been released. Towards the end of yesterday’s special Knesset session to mark the fortieth anniversary of the Yom Kippur War, Meretz head Zahava Galon and Kadima leader Shaul Mofaz both accused Netanyahu of being to blame for the absence of a peace deal.

In an apparently unscripted response, Netanyahu said, “Who among us doesn’t want peace? … We want real, sustainable peace, not fake, not temporary. I want peace that will last. It might not be warm or rosy; it might even be cold. But it should hold.”

Netanyahu explained that obstacles stand in the way of achieving this, emphasising “we also need a partner” in order to make peace. He also highlighted that Israel’s security needs must be met as a condition for a peace accord, especially as Iran, through proxies such as Hamas and Hezbollah, “have the power to take over territory from which we withdraw – if we do not protect it – with the intention of getting rid of us.” He noted that when Israel “withdrew from Gaza [in 2005], they took over. When we withdrew from Lebanon [in 2000], they took over. They don’t want peace. They’re the dominant power.”

Netanyahu continued: “No one understands this better than our Arab neighbours … Until these threats are dealt with, there certainly cannot be peace.” He argued that “Iranian nuclear weapons will threaten the existing peace treaties with our neighbours” and any future peace agreements too.

Netanyahu also yesterday telephoned PA President Mahmoud Abbas to send his festive greetings ahead of the Muslim celebration of Eid al-Adha.