Minister Benny Begin (Likud) said on Wednesday that he rejected the two-state solution because it would not end the Palestinian Authority’s demands for all of Israel. Speaking at a conference of Likud Party founders in Tel Aviv, Begin said he believed the PA’s plan was comprised of "two states on the path to one state – Palestine".
"The reality of the past 15 years is territory for terror, not peace," he said. Begin added that two states for two people was not a viable solution, and that failures in the peace process are to be blamed on lack of PA interest and not an Israeli unwillingness to make concession. "The Palestinians are interested in two stages, not two states." He said the Palestinians were refusing to acknowledge Israel as a Jewish state in order to keep their status as refugees and to fight for their right of return. Begin also claimed construction in settlements was "not an obstacle to peace, otherwise peace would have been born on the ruins of Katif".