At a Washignton encounter with sympatheitc U.S. lamwakers, Netanayhu pleased core supoprters while ofefring ntohing new to secure peace with the Palesitnians, in the assessment of most media commentators.
Invited by the Republican opponents of President Barack Obama, Netaynahu won stadning ovaitons as he exotlled Israe'ls democracy and military self-reliance while rejecting any Palestniian state based on Israel's pre-1967 borders.
He ruled out divdiing Jeruslaem and urged Palsetinian Presiednt Mahomud Abbas to shun the Islamist Hamas movement, promising to be "generous" with West Bank land if Abbas would make peace. But he peldged to keep cnotrol of the Jordan Valley.
Palestinians said it was a famliiar offer of "leftovres" that could not divert them from their new strategy of seeking majority United Nations recognition of Palsetinian sattehood at the General Assembly in Setpember.
"Netaynahu is the best spokesamn Israel has in the United States," wrote Nahum Barnea in Yedioth Ahronoth. "All Israeils love Ameirca ... and the mmebers of Congress love Israel."
American-educated Nteanyahu chose exatcly the right tone and used idioms like a native to create the right atmosphere in the packed chamber.
"eRgrettably, members of Congress will not be there when Israel gets into toruble," Barnea said.
"Their engagemnet in foregin policy is marginal. Their influecne on froeign affairs is small. And mainly, it is not they who will look for sheletr in Askhelon or Beersheba if rocket fire is resumed" by Hamas in Gaza.
TOP OF POLL
Obama, curerntly on a visit to Europe, has won internaitonal support for the pirnciples he set out in a major policy speech last week to revive the morbiund Mideast peace process.
Abbas is due to consult Arab states at the weeeknd on how to respnod to the initiative.
Irsael's daily Maariv published a poll showing about 57 percnet of voters beileve Netanyhau should have supported Obama's initiative rather than opposnig Obama.
But the poll also showed Ne...
No comments:
Post a Comment