Netanyahu government makes no commitment to two-state solution

The new Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu has no commitment to the two-state solution and no intention to establish a Palestinian state, local media sources claim. A document presented to the Knesset on Wednesday made no mention of what up until now had been standard public commitments by previous governments, even those led by the prime minister.

Haaretz newspaper said on Thursday that Netanyahu government’s programme only has a general statement on the issue, saying that it “will advance the diplomatic process and will strive for a peace agreement with the Palestinians and with all of our neighbours.” The newspaper pointed out that the political clause in the document is no different to the wording used in Netanyahu’s previous governments in 2009 and 2013, mainly due to opposition from many members of his own Likud Party and its coalition partners on the right.

“The government will push for a diplomatic peace process while preserving Israel’s security and national historical interests,” the document states. “If an agreement of this kind is reached, it will be brought for the approval of the cabinet and the Knesset, and if necessary, for a national referendum as well.”

There is no apparent change in the government’s position on the issue, Haaretz pointed out, but Israel’s international standing and the US and EU member states have demanded that Netanyahu prove both in policy and in action that his government is committed to the two-state solution.

“We look to the new Israeli government and the Palestinians to demonstrate through policies and actions a genuine commitment to a two-state solution,” US President Barack Obama told London-based Arab daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat on Wednesday. “Only then can trust be rebuilt and a cycle of escalation avoided.”