Binyamin Netanyahu rejects calls for Palestinian state within 1967 lines

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

Binyamin Netanyahu rejects calls for Palestinian state within 1967 lines

Harriet Sherwood in Jerusalem
The Guardian, Sunday 20 January 2013 16.50 GMT

Binyamin Netanyahu has vowed to rebuff international demands to allow a Palestinian state with a border based on the pre-1967 Green Line and its capital in East Jerusalem, as hardline pro-settler parties and factions are set to make unprecedented gains in Tuesday's election.

"When they say: 'Go back to the '67 lines,' I stand against. When they say: 'Don't build in Jerusalem,' I stand against," the Israeli prime minister told Channel 2 in a television interview.

"It's very easy to capitulate. I could go back to the impossible-to-defend '67 lines, and divide Jerusalem, and we would get Hamas 400 metres from my home." He would not allow that to happen under his leadership, he said.

Likud supporters on Sunday draped the walls of Jerusalem's Old City with huge banners proclaiming: "Only Netanyahu will protect Jerusalem" and "Warning: '67 border ahead".

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Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/20/binyamin-netanyahu-palestinian-state-1967

[bemildred]

1. Bibi seems to be getting increasingly agitated. nt

[oberliner]

2. Covering his right flank

He is hemorrhaging votes to the religious and settler parties.

It would be great if the right - far-right predicted coalition is unable to hold.

Could be an opportunity for the center-left if they can get their act together in a hurry.

Shas has been known to be somewhat fickle and not automatically aligning where you think they might.

If they break left, it could be quite an upset (And they do tend to lean left on some social issues, relatively speaking).

[bemildred]

3. Yes, I'm feeling tentatively hopeful.

On the assumption that he is becoming agitated for good reasons.

It appears to me there is freaking out at both ends of the political spectrum, his picking a fight with a sitting and recently victorious US President is so Bibi-like one expects it, but it seems to be alarming the "reality based" community there in Israel too.

Here, this one seems representative:

Is Peres Working to Overthrow Bibi?

[oberliner]

5. Wow

"..the president had indicated that if the left-wing parties were to come to him as a unified bloc, he would task them, not Netanyahu, with the formation of the next government."

I like the sound of that.

[bemildred]

6. It could explain some of the freaking out. nt

[Scootaloo]

7. It would still require Israelis to elect left-wing parties.

Alright. Not impossible. Maybe we've just been watching a far-right propaganda campaign.

But I'd have to wonder why Israelis suddenly got their shit together to end their slouching towards fascism. It's not like it's actually costing Israelis a damn thing.

[azurnoir]

8. Interesting however

with the Rightist bloc poised to take 66 or 67 of the 120 seats in the Knesset, even with a Center-Left ruling party wouldn't you have government where they simply cancel each other out?

Maybe he's following the American model, Democratic POTUS with Republican House and not much happens

[bemildred]

9. Interesting is about as far as I'm willing to go too.

Sometimes unpredictable things happen, tomorrow is not always like today.
Sometimes predictions are wrong.

That's why we have elections, to find out what the voters really think.

[azurnoir]

10. True that I'll admit I'm going on polls

and those are not always accurate, last November Obama won by a wider margin than I remember any of the polls giving him

http://972mag.com/polls/

[oberliner]

15. 927mag - what a shocker

Look at their 2009 numbers - totally off.

Momentum is shifting and there are lots of undecideds.

[azurnoir]

19. if you read the link +972 averaged numbers from 12 Israeli sources

it is not 2009 any longer and as I pointed out no US poll showed Barack Obama winning by as large a margin as he did

here is the link again perhaps you should read it completely to gain an understanding

http://972mag.com/polls/

[oberliner]

21. "perhaps you should read it completely to gain an understanding"

Funny funny stuff.

Perhaps the 972mag-ers should reflect on their second election projection failure in a row.

[azurnoir]

22. here is +972's current breakdown

CHANNEL 2: Likud 31; Jewish Home 12; Otzma Le-Yisrael 0; Shas 12; United Torah Judaism 6; Kadiam 0; Yesh Atid (Yair Lapid) 19; Hatn’ua (Tzipi Livni) 7; Labor 17; Meretz 7; Hadash 4; Balad 2; United Arab List 3; Right-Orthodox Bloc 61; Palestinians-Center-Left 59.

CHANNEL 1: Likud 31; Jewish Home 12; Otzma Le-Yisrael 2; Shas 11; United Torah Judaism 6; Kadiam 0; Yesh Atid (Yair Lapid) 19; Hatn’ua (Tzipi Livni) 7; Labor 17; Meretz 7; Hadash 3; Balad 2; United Arab List 3; Right-Orthodox Bloc 62; Palestinians-Center-Left 58.

http://972mag.com/live-blog-israeli-elections-2013/64466/

but of course you'll say that is wrong too

[zellie]

11. Yes that's why we have elections...

except for Abbas who apparently doesn't like elections and doesnt give a flying f¥<k about what the voters REALLY think.

What a guy.

[sabbat hunter]

13. If the rightist bloc gets 66 or 67 seats

then Bibi will be the PM with that bloc. Remember it is different in a parliamentary system than the US.

[oberliner]

14. The "Rightist bloc" is not "poised to take 66 or 67" seats

Probably you got that BS from 972mag who also had incorrect information (inflating the RW) in 2009.

The truth of the matter is that recent polls do not show any such thing.

I would encourage you to expand your radius of information.

[azurnoir]

17. are you confusing Rightist with Likud-Beiteinu because otherwise I really do not understand

Last edited Mon Jan 21, 2013, 03:41 AM - Edit history (2)

your denials? My 66-67 seat count was adding up the right leaning parties total projected seats, of which according to +972 varied according source from a high of 37 to low of 32 there being 12 sources used to get an average of 33.6 seats for that party the numbers on +972 are an amalgamation of poll numbers from several Israeli sources, the variation would come more from those numbers being inaccurate or if Shas did not add it's projected 11 seats to the Rightist coalition
the information on how +972 arrived at there numbers and the sources used listed individually with each polls numbers for each party are in the link perhaps you should attempt to read it

http://972mag.com/polls/

[oberliner]

20. Glad you (and 972mag) were 100 percent wrong here

The rightist bloc isn't coming anywhere close to 66-67 seats.

[azurnoir]

23. nope apparently the Israeli polls were off by a small bit 62 vs 66 or 67

the rightist bloc by any calculation has the lead

CHANNEL 2: Likud 31; Jewish Home 12; Otzma Le-Yisrael 0; Shas 12; United Torah Judaism 6; Kadiam 0; Yesh Atid (Yair Lapid) 19; Hatn’ua (Tzipi Livni) 7; Labor 17; Meretz 7; Hadash 4; Balad 2; United Arab List 3; Right-Orthodox Bloc 61; Palestinians-Center-Left 59.

CHANNEL 1: Likud 31; Jewish Home 12; Otzma Le-Yisrael 2; Shas 11; United Torah Judaism 6; Kadiam 0; Yesh Atid (Yair Lapid) 19; Hatn’ua (Tzipi Livni) 7; Labor 17; Meretz 7; Hadash 3; Balad 2; United Arab List 3; Right-Orthodox Bloc 62; Palestinians-Center-Left 58.

http://972mag.com/live-blog-israeli-elections-2013/64466/

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

4. Even if Fibi kept all of Jerusalem he would still find fault with any pullback

from illegal occupation. Excuses, excuses.

Does he have an excuses as to why he is going ahead with more housing on occupied Palestinian land?

If you remember anything, Fibi has been on record as saying that he helped defeat Oslo.
http://crooksandliars.com/ian-welsh/israeli-pm-natanyahu-america-easily-move

So why would somebody that boasts about a thing like that ever accept that his country is engaged in colonization of another people's land or leave it willingly?

[geek tragedy]

12. Israeli general election= US Republican primary

The winning candidate need to appeal to the racist crazies while bamboozling others into thinking you are mainstream.

Remember that Dick Cheney would be a moderate over there.

[oberliner]

16. Not true at all

Israel is much further left than the US could ever hope to be.

They are basically a Socialist country.

[geek tragedy]

18. Sure, just like Dixiecrats in the 1940's were 'economic' liberals. nt

[Ken Burch]

24. To be against the '67 lines is to be against peace.

You're not serious about peace if you're negotiating a "peace treaty" based on the assumption that the war isn't actually going to be stopped.