YNET NEWS: Prime Minister Netanyahu calls for special consultation immediately after American president's historic address. Labor's Braverman: We're committed to two-state solution. Habayit Hayehudi's Hershkowitz: Israeli government is not some overlapping excess of US administration
Echoes of US President Barack Obama's speech in Cairo resonated through Jerusalem's corridors Thursday, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a special consultation immediately after it was over.
In a historic address, the US president called for called for "a new beginning between the United States and Muslims", and urged a confrontation with violent extremism across the globe as well as peace in the Middle East.
Obama made it a point to stress the "unbreakable bond" between Washington and Jerusalem, and that "Israel's right to exist cannot be denied". But nevertheless, he added, "The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements. This construction violates previous agreements and undermines efforts to achieve peace. It is time for these settlements to stop."
"(Obama) was right to say that extremism is the world's enemy," said Minister of Minority Affairs Avishay Braverman (Labor). "The Israeli society – Jews and Arabs, religious and seculars – must find a way to embrace this sentiment and mirror it to the Palestinians. Two-states for two people is the solution we are committed to."
Science and Technology Minister Daniel Hershkowitz (Habayit Hayehudi), who tuned into the speech while touring the communities adjacent to Mount Hebron, was not as pleased: "Obama completely overlooked that fact that the Palestinians have yet to abandon terror. The Israeli government is not some overlapping excess of the US administration."
The relationship between Washington and Jerusalem is based on friendship and not on surrender, he added. "We have to draw the line when it comes to the natural growth of settlements." >>> Ynet reporters | Thursday, June 04, 2009
