Prime Minister-designate Binyamin Netanyahu affirmed his government's desire for peace with Israel's neighbors on Monday in a speech commemorating Israel's peace deal with Egypt. “Every one of our neighbors who will be ready for peace will find our hands outstretched before them,” he said.
Netanyahu promised that his government would do “all in its power” to reach peace. Israel has always been prepared to negotiate when an Arab leader expresses interest in peace, he said.
Stressing the need for “a viable peace” and not just a signed document, Netanyahu said, “Ultimately, peace is not judged by declarations or speeches... Its true test is in its durability.” Israel's peace deal with Egypt has proved to stand the test of time, he added.
Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert spoke at the event as well and reiterated his call to Netanyahu to create a Palestinian Authority state in Judea, Samaria and Gaza. “There is no Jewish state without the guarantee of a Jewish majority for generations to come, and this majority does not exist in Greater Israel,” he said. “The conclusion is clear: two states for two peoples.”
"There is no alternative,” Olmert warned.
Peace with the PA would require “a dramatic, painful, and heart-breaking compromise,” Olmert said. Last week Olmert told a crowd at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya that he had offered the PA more than any Israeli leader had offered in the past, but his offer had gone unanswered.
Despite that statement, Olmert said Monday that he believes his government could have reached an agreement with the PA if only it had been given more time.
Abbas: Israel Far from Peace
In apparent contradiction to Olmert's perception of peace as close at hand, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said Monday that Israel is “far from abandoning the path of settlement and choosing the path of peace.” At the Arab League conference in Doha, Abbas accused Israel of acting to promote “expansionist ambitions” instead of peace.
Abbas also slammed Israel for the construction of a security barrier near the 1949 armistice line, which he termed “the racist wall,” for what he termed the Judaization of Jerusalem, and for holding roughly 11,000 PA terrorists as prisoners.
The PA Chairman also leveled serious accusations at Israel over Operation Cast Lead in Gaza, which he called a “criminal war.” Israel attacked “helpless civilians,” proof that the government chose “the path of aggression and settlement,” he said.
In Egypt, Anniversary Ignored
While Israeli leaders spoke in praise of Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat, the Israeli and Egyptian leaders who signed a deal 30 years ago, in Egypt the anniversary of the peace deal was largely ignored.
The event was reported in Egyptian media, where editorialists opined that Egypt has no reason to celebrate. Israel “tries to destroy relations with Arabs by spilling blood in Gaza,” said Egypt's largest daily, Al Ahram.
While the Egyptian government did not celebrate the historic treaty, Egyptian Ambassador Yasser Reda attended a ceremony marking the anniversary at Hebrew University last week. Reda gave a speech at the event urging Israeli officials to freeze construction in Jewish parts of Judea and Samaria and give the area to the PA for the creation of a new Arab state.