Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu [left Sunday] for a visit of considerable importance to Washington. The American government has decided to give him a second chance, following the Ramat Shlomo crisis that erupted during Vice President Joseph Biden’s visit to Israel. …
Netanyahu must make use of this second chance to create a new relationship with President Barack Obama and senior members of the U.S. government. Obama’s support is vital to achieving Netanyahu’s stated goals: preventing Iran’s acquisition of nuclear weapons and an agreement with the Palestinians for two states for two peoples. It is up to Netanyahu to repair working relations with the president and senior members of his staff; this is in Israel’s interest. …
Netanyahu’s trip will be considered a success if it ends with renewed negotiations with the Palestinians. The Quartet of Middle East peace negotiators’ recent announcement that it supports the establishment of a Palestinian state before the summer of 2011 offers a reasonable schedule for achieving an agreement.
Netanyahu must enter these negotiations with complete seriousness, overcome the political obstacles placed before him by extreme members of his coalition, and strive for an agreement that will establish an independent Palestine at Israel’s side, as he promised in his speech at Bar-Ilan University. This is what his hosts in Washington expect of him. Access the full article>>
