ISRAELI prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu may unveil a new peace initiative between his country and Palestine in his address to the US Congress scheduled for next month.
According to reports, Netanyahu’s new initiative hopes to counter a unilateral Palestinian drive for international recognition of statehood.
On April 14, the Israeli prime minister told members of his Likud party, that he would use the address to discuss a way to “bring a secure peace between us and our neighbors. Not a peace on paper, not a peace of ceremonies and lawns, but a peace that will last and ensure our future and security.”
Netanyahu said he would also address Iran’s nuclear program and recent domestic unrest across the Middle East, according to reports.
Recently Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated the Obama administration’s intention for a renewed push on Arab-Israeli peacemaking.
THE Israel-Palestinian talks did not restart after Palestinians boycotted the talks in protest of Israel’s expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
US has been pushing Netanyahu to develop a diplomatic initiative to undercut a Palestinian campaign to obtain a resolution at the United Nations General Assembly that would recognize a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza.
Israel which is opposed to the campaign, views it as an attempt to sidestep bilateral negotiations and dictate the terms of a peace settlement.
