Facing Conservatives, Israel’s Leader Takes Harder Stance on Settlements Lawmakers led by Prime Minister Netanyahu’s rival have called for an end to the notion of a two-state solution By Rory Jones
http://www.wsj.com/articles/facing-conservatives-israels-leader-takes-harder-stance-on-settlements-1482801932
TEL AVIV—Israel’s settlement-building in disputed areas is accompanied by an edging away from support for a Palestinian state, thanks partly to domestic political rivalries—a trend that helped spur a United Nations condemnation of the country but also could limit the impact of that censure.
Conservative lawmakers, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rival, Naftali Bennett, and emboldened by the election of Donald Trump, have in recent weeks called for the annexation of most of the West Bank and an end to the notion of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The pro-settlement Jewish Home party, led by Mr. Bennett, has also proposed legalizing dozens of currently outlawed settlements in the West Bank.
In response, Mr. Netanyahu has shifted to a more hardline stance on the issue, hinting he could move away from his long-standing support for the two-state solution when Mr. Trump takes office next month. He has also spoken in recent weeks about his government’s “love for settlement.”
That rhetoric was a key reason the Obama administration abstained from the vote Friday in the U.N. Security Council, which allowed a censure of Israeli settlements to pass for the first time in 36 years, according to U.S. envoy to the U.N. Samantha Power.
“The Israeli prime minister recently described his government as more committed to settlements than any in Israel’s history and one of his leading coalition partners recently declared that the era of the two-state solution is over,” Ms. Power said Friday at the U.N. vote, referring to Mr. Bennett. “The prime minister has said that he is still committed to pursuing a two-state solution. But these statements are irreconcilable.”
The U.N. resolution vote comes as tensions between the White House and Mr. Netanyahu’s government have reached a new pitch.
Mr. Netanyahu accused the White House of colluding with Palestinians to put the resolution forward, a charge it denies. He summoned the U.S. ambassador on Sunday to protest while the foreign ministry summoned top diplomats from 10 countries that voted in favor of the resolution.
An Israeli official said Mr. Netanyahu had advised officials to limit travel to countries that voted in favor of the resolution, but hadn’t suspended relations. Following the U.N. vote, he recalled his ambassadors to New Zealand and Senegal. Israel also cancelled a meeting between Mr. Netanyahu and Ukraine’s leader. The Ukrainian government summoned the Israeli ambassador to Kiev as a result.
Israel also fears a speech by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, scheduled for as soon as this week, could lead to further action at the U.N. on the conflict. Mr. Kerry could lay out parameters for a future peace deal, which could then be enshrined in another U.N. resolution, Israeli officials fear. Such a resolution would increase international pressure on Israel, which worries it would embolden Palestinians not to compromise in any peace talks.
Israel’s ambassador to the U.S., Ron Dermer, suggested there was the prospect of a new resolution during an interview Monday on MSNBC. “We’re not sure that this is the end of it,” he said. “We may get a new U.N. Security Council resolution in the waning days of the administration.”
However, administration officials said Monday there are no plans for any additional U.N. resolution.
Friday’s U.N. vote was a stark reminder of the gulf between Israel on one side and the U.S. and international community on the other over how to approach the Israeli-Palestinian conflict moving forward.
Mr. Netanyahu’s official policy is to pursue a separate Palestinian state. But he has also overseen an increase of more than 100,000 settlers since winning power for the second time in 2009. His diverging policy has caused Western diplomats to question his real goals and plans to solve the conflict.
Mr. Bennett has been much clearer in his approach. He advocates annexing the West Bank, giving Palestinians autonomy in their cities and increasing spending on infrastructure to benefit both Jews and Arabs living in the territory. However, this falls far short of longstanding Palestinian demands for their own state.
Mr. Netanyahu’s forceful response to the U.N. vote is aimed at placating the conservative members of his own government and is part of a one-upmanship with Mr. Bennett, said Yehudit Auerbach, a political scientist at Bar Ilan University near Tel Aviv.
“It’s kind of a contest or competition about who will be the future leader of the right in Israel,” said Ms. Auerbach. “Is it Bibi Netanyahu or is it Bennett?” she added, using a nickname for the prime minister. CONTINUE AT SITE
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