Just received a NYT alert, with the following headline:
Netanyahu Says No Palestinian State if He Is Re-elected
The article quotes him as follows:
“I think that anyone who is going to establish a Palestinian state today and evacuate lands, is giving attack grounds to the radical Islam against the state of Israel,” he said in a video interview published on the NRG website. “Anyone who ignores this is sticking his head in the sand. The left does this time and time again. We are realistic and understand.”
Asked if he meant that a Palestinian state would not be established if he were to continue as Israel’s prime minister, Mr. Netanyahu replied: “Correct.”
Although Netanyahu's general resistance to a Palestinian state is hardly a secret, I still find this pronouncement quite remarkable. At the least, this stance represents an express reversal for Bibi:
The comments reversed a 2009 speech in which Mr. Netanyahu endorsed the concept of two states for two peoples between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River.
The article intimates that Bibi's reversal may be a move of desperation, in view of his sinking poll numbers.
Needless to say, there has been widespread bi-partisan support in this country for a two-state solution for decades. But given how closely aligned the GOP has been with Bibi - I have to wonder how long that will last.