Q&A: Benjamin Netanyahu on Israel's Right Turn | Newsweek International

Israel's prime minister-elect talks to Newsweek's Lally Weymouth

Published Feb 28, 2009

From the magazine issue dated Mar 9, 2009

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Israel's Prime Minister-designate, Benjamin Netanyahu, sat down last week for a long interview with NEWSWEEK's Lally Weymouth—his first with the foreign media since he was asked by President Shimon Peres to form Israel's next government. Currently, it looks like he'll have to cobble together a narrow right-wing coalition, after opposition leader Tzipi Livni refused to join him in a broad national-unity government. Excerpts:

Weymouth: President Peres reportedly believes that you have matured since you served as prime minister in 1996. Do you think you are a different Bibi Netanyahu?
Netanyahu: One would hope. I think time has its uses. One of them is to reflect on your experiences and those of others. I have watched carefully the successes of governments and of prime ministers and of policies and sought to draw from those the elements of policy and leadership that will enable me to move Israel to a better future.

Would you continue the peace talks that were begun at Annapolis?
I would like to continue the political talks in a way that does not contradict Israel's international obligations

… We have to choose between three courses. The first is to build from the top down as has been done until now—shooting for an instant, final settlement. This has failed time and again because of the lack of a partner on the Palestinian side that can deliver the minimal concessions needed by the Israeli government. The second option is to do nothing. I propose a third way: to continue political talks and at the same time advance the [Palestinian] economic development that has begun and also strengthen the Palestinian security forces. I personally intend to take charge of a government committee that will regularly address the needs of the Palestinian economy in the West Bank.

But economic progress is not a substitute for political progress.
It's not a substitute, but in Northern Ireland it was an unbelievable facilitator for the Good Friday agreement and the others that followed.

What do you say when asked if you believe in a two-state solution?
I think that any final settlement for peace would have to enable the Palestinians to govern themselves, except [for] a handful of powers that would threaten the state of Israel. Let me give you an example: there is broad consensus in Israel that the Palestinians should not have an army that would pour tanks or artillery into Israel, or that they could not make a military pact with Iran. They could not import rockets to fire on Israel's cities.

Didn't you say that the recent Gaza operation did not go far enough and that Hamas should be toppled? Do you believe that?
Down the line, the presence of an Iranian base committed to wiping Israel off the face of the earth does not bode well for peace. Hamas is incompatible with peace.

So what do you do about that?
I hope that the Palestinians in Gaza find the ability to change this regime because we want to have peace with all the Palestinians. Right now, what we should do is to enable humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza but not in such a way as it enables Hamas to buy more rockets.

As the Wall Street Journal wrote on May 6th,
"For reasons both telling and mysterious, Israel has become unpopular among that segment of public opinion that calls itself progressive. This is the same progressive segment that believes in women's rights, gay rights, the rights to a fair trial and to appeal, freedom of speech and conscience, judicial checks on parliamentary authority. These are rights that exist in Israel and nowhere else in the Middle East. So why is it that the country that is most sympathetic to progressive values gets the least of progressive sympathies?"

it is therefore very strange that, because of their rabid anti Israel views, these progressives have turned into apologists for Islamic fundamentalists (such as hamas and hezbollah) who loath and despise every progressive belief that these folks hold dear.

if peace were ever to exist, palestine or even worse the "one state solution" (which would result in the demographic destruction of the state of israel) would be just another arab cesspool, where women are despised and oppressed, other religions disrespected (and forbidden) and gay people murdered.

in Israel gay marriage is already recognized and NOW,
Overseas adoptions by gay couples get OK from Israel
United Press International (4/25)

To support the Palestinian Cause is to be anti women, anti gay and anti democracy.

Finally, To focus so much attention on the Palestinians at the expense of the genocide in Darfur (Muslim killing Muslim), the Muslim on Muslim violence in Iraq, the executions of Muslim gay teens in Iran, the violence towards women in Iran--(just for showing their hair), the sentences of stoning or beatings for rape victims in both Nigeria and Saudi Arabia (where woman are also forbidden to drive), The burning to death of young girls in a school in Saudi Arabia, as the religious police would not allow male fireman to save them, because the girls were not wearing their burkahs, the epidemic of honor killings by brothers and fathers of young girls in both Britain, Canada and Turkey is not only morally reprehensible but indefensible.

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Posted By: toby ziegler @ 05/19/2009 8:47:20 AM

Just read Netanyahu's plan on how to attack Iran: www.olivetreenews.com
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Posted By: kraznet @ 03/07/2009 9:29:04 PM

As the Wall Street Journal wrote on May 6th,
"For reasons both telling and mysterious, Israel has become unpopular among that segment of public opinion that calls itself progressive. This is the same progressive segment that believes in women's rights, gay rights, the rights to a fair trial and to appeal, freedom of speech and conscience, judicial checks on parliamentary authority. These are rights that exist in Israel and nowhere else in the Middle East. So why is it that the country that is most sympathetic to progressive values gets the least of progressive sympathies?"

it is therefore very strange that, because of their rabid anti Israel views, these progressives have turned into apologists for Islamic fundamentalists (such as hamas and hezbollah) who loath and despise every progressive belief that these folks hold dear.

if peace were ever to exist, palestine or even worse the "one state solution" (which would result in the demographic destruction of the state of israel) would be just another arab cesspool, where women are despised and oppressed, other religions disrespected (and forbidden) and gay people murdered.

in Israel gay marriage is already recognized and NOW,
Overseas adoptions by gay couples get OK from Israel
United Press International (4/25)

To support the Palestinian Cause is to be anti women, anti gay and anti democracy.

Finally, To focus so much attention on the Palestinians at the expense of the genocide in Darfur (Muslim killing Muslim), the Muslim on Muslim violence in Iraq, the executions of Muslim gay teens in Iran, the violence towards women in Iran--(just for showing their hair), the sentences of stoning or beatings for rape victims in both Nigeria and Saudi Arabia (where woman are also forbidden to drive), The burning to death of young girls in a school in Saudi Arabia, as the religious police would not allow male fireman to save them, because the girls were not wearing their burkahs, the epidemic of honor killings by brothers and fathers of young girls in both Britain, Canada and Turkey is not only morally reprehensible but indefensible.
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Posted By: newtral @ 03/07/2009 12:25:16 AM

No! Its not OK for the world to threat the Jews as a low class people and is not also OK for the world to threat the palestinians by the jews as lower class. Israelis are doing what the Germans did to them during the holocaust to the palestinians.