Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Jewish Business News

U.S. Politics

PM Netanyahu says President Trump issued no ‘blank check’ to Israel

Israeli PM insists that while relations were warm between the US and Israel, Jerusalem did not have carte blanche to act in any way it pleased

 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed his Likud faction Monday afternoon during a party meeting that US President Donald Trump’s recent visit to Israel had not resulted in the US granting of a “blank check in regards to our policies.”

“We are a sovereign nation and can decide and declare a lot of things,” Netanyahu continued. “It is true that relations are warm and that there is a great understanding of our position, but a blank check? That is far from reality.”

Please help us out :
Will you offer us a hand? Every gift, regardless of size, fuels our future.
Your critical contribution enables us to maintain our independence from shareholders or wealthy owners, allowing us to keep up reporting without bias. It means we can continue to make Jewish Business News available to everyone.
You can support us for as little as $1 via PayPal at office@jewishbusinessnews.com.
Thank you.

In that vein, the prime minister urged his party members to act responsibly, apparently so as to avoid rocking what appear to be stable relations.

“That is why we are required to act with great diligence and with responsibility—We need this especially now,” he warned his listeners.

“You heard President Trump. He came here, did extremely important things and touched us deeply, but he also said that he believes that Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas) wants peace and that I want peace. He also stated that he believes that it is possible and necessary to arrive at an agreement,” he reminded the Likud members.

 

 

Netanyahu also touched on a factor which he has repeatedly attributed to the inability of the two warring parties to come to a peace agreement, which Donald Trump has often referred to as “the ultimate deal.”

“There is one fundamental thing that I always say: The reason there is no agreement is because they (the Palestinians) educate their children, generation after generation, that there will not be a State of Israel in any borders whatsoever,” he said.

“That is why the only way to ensure our future is to have control over security. That is our position, and it has been stated in the clearest fashion. There is still, I would unambiguously say, a desire and even attempts to reach an agreement on the belief that the Palestinians are not ready to give up on their desire to destroy the State of Israel in stages, on a piecemeal basis, over time,” he stated.

However, he indicated that he remained committed to pursuing peace regardless of the Palestinians’ long-term goals to erase Israel from the map.

“That isn’t important. I am telling you this because we need to deal with this. I have to deal with this.”

Regarding the security assistance agreement with the Americans, the prime minister added: “We received extra security aid amounting to NIS 300 million. According to the security agreement with the US, if Congress approves additional sums to the budget and also the government approves it, there is no need to pay it back.”

Last September, Israel and the US signed the terms of a new $38 billion aid package for Israel during a State Department ceremony shortly before Barack Obama left the White House as president.

By Ynet News

Newsletter



Advertisement

You May Also Like

World News

In the 15th Nov 2015 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:   ·         A new Israeli treatment brings hope to relapsed leukemia...

Entertainment

The Movie The Professional is what made Natalie Portman a Lolita.

Travel

After two decades without a rating system in Israel, at the end of 2012 an international tender for hotel rating was published.  Invited to place bids...

VC, Investments

You may not become a millionaire, but there is a lot to learn from George Soros.