Benjamin Netanyahu: Israel’s hard-liner in chief

Prime Minister Netanyahu’s wariness about compromising with the Palestinians has deep roots

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he would like to see a two-state solution, but under guidelines that severely restrict negotiations.
(Image credit: John Van Hasselt/Corbis)

Is Netanyahu opposed to a Palestinian state?

Not in theory. He says he’d like to see a “two-state solution,’’ but only if Palestinians first recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, renounce any “right of return,” and agree to Israel’s control of East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, and much of the West Bank. He also refuses to negotiate with the Palestinians if Hamas, the radical organization that controls the Gaza Strip, is in any way involved. In effect, this means there is no chance for negotiations—which is fine by Netanyahu, because he believes that relinquishing territory will only weaken Israel. “I think anyone with eyes in his head understands that today, any territory you evacuate will be taken over by Israel’s bitterest foes,” he said on the eve of his 2009 election.

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