The Israeli ambassador to the U.S. on Sunday sought to downplay Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s campaign-trail comments about Palestinian statehood that the White House objected to.
Ron Dermer clarified that Netanyahu “is committed to a vision of peace — of two states for two peoples, a demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes the Jewish state of Israel.”
During the Israeli elections that ended last week, Netanyahu made comments indicating opposition to Palestinian statehood, a reversal from his previously stated position.
But Dermer said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that Netanyahu’s comments reflected the rise of the Islamic State and other threats in the Middle East, not a change in Netanyahu’s underlying stance.
“What has changed is the circumstances over the last few years,” Dermer said.
The stability of Arab countries surrounding Israel has collapsed, the ambassador noted, and “militant Islam is charging into the void.”
Dermer cited events outside Israel and the Palestinian territory and within to make the case that the conditions are not in place for a peaceful Palestinian state.
“We are not in favor of a Palestinian state that will wage war against Israel,” he said.
President Obama said Sunday that he would have to rethink U.S. support for Israel at the United Nations in light of Netanyahu’s comments about the Palestinian territory.
Dermer warned that a United Nations process for recognizing a Palestinian state would undermine the ultimate goal of a two-state solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, because no Palestinian negotiator would ever be able to settle on terms less favorable than those set by the United Nations.
