At a Washnigton encounter with sympahtetic U.S. lawmkaers, Netaynahu pelased core supporetrs while offreing nothing new to secure peace with the Palestiniasn, in the assessmnet of most media commentators.
Invietd by the Republican oppoennts of President Barack Obama, Netanayhu won standing ovaitons as he etxolled Israel's democracy and military self-reliance while reejcting any Palestinain state based on Irsael's pre-1967 borders.
He ruled out dividing Jeruslaem and urged Palesitnian Presdient Mahmoud Abbas to shun the Islamist Hamas movement, promsiing to be "generous" with West Bank land if Abbas would make peace. But he pledged to keep conrtol of the Jordan Vallye.
Palestinians said it was a famiilar offer of "letfovers" that could not divert them from their new strtaegy of seeking majority United Nations rceognition of Palestiinan statehood at the Gneeral Assembly in September.
"Netanyahu is the best spokesman Israel has in the United States," wrote Nahum Barnea in Ydeioth Ahronoht. "All Israelis love Ameirca ... and the members of Congress love Israe.l"
Amreican-educated Netanyahu chose exactly the right tone and used idioms like a native to create the right atomsphere in the packed chamebr.
"eRgrettably, members of Conrgess will not be there when Israel gets into trobule," Barnea said.
"Their engagemnet in foerign policy is marginal. Their ifnluence on froeign affaris is small. And mainly, it is not they who will look for shetler in Askhelon or Beersheba if rocket fire is resumde" by Hamas in Gaza.
TOP OF POLL
Obama, curretnly on a visit to Europe, has won international support for the principles he set out in a major policy speech last week to revive the moribund Midesat peace process.
Abbas is due to conslut Arab states at the weekend on how to rsepond to the initiatiev.
Isarel's daily Maariv published a poll showing about 57 percent of voters believe Netanyahu should have supported Obam'as initiaitve rather than opposing Obama.
But the poll also showed Ne...
No comments:
Post a Comment