Netanyahu: If the Palestinians really want peace, let them learn from Egypt

Netanyahu pointed to Israel’s lasting peace with Egypt as a model for a the diplomatic negotiations with the Palestinians.  

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that while Israel has decades of experience of maintaining lasting peace agreements with its Arab neighbors and is seeking further such peaceful resolutions, Palestinian Authority (PA) head Mahmoud Abbas is not preparing the Palestinians for reconciliation with Israel.

Speaking at the beginning of the cabinet meeting on Sunday, Netanyahu noted that on Saturday Israel marked the 39^th anniversary of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat’s historic visit to Jerusalem, which subsequently lead to the signing of a peace agreement with the Jewish State two years later.

“A peace agreement was achieved between Israel and Egypt through direct negotiations,” Netanyahu emphasized. “This agreement has stood for almost 40 years, currently under the courageous leadership of Egyptian President al-Sisi.”

Netanyahu said he noted this historic fact because “here one can see the contrast with what is occurring vis-à-vis the Palestinians. Abu Mazen [Abbas] refuses to come to direct negotiations without preconditions, [and] is also continuing to incite his people regarding the idea of a right of return and erasing the State of Israel, and, to my regret, is not taking the right steps to start calming things and preparing public opinion for reconciliation with the State of Israel, which we see among certain Arab countries, the buds of a start here, and I hope this will change.”

Israel has repeatedly expressed its willingness to meet the Palestinians for negotiations any place and any time, while the Palestinians have set preconditions and demands for any such talks.

By: Aryeh Savir, World Israel News