(Jerusalem Post) Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon told the Herzliya Conference on Tuesday that the "land for peace" paradigm for solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been a mistake which has brought Israel only "terror and rockets" in exchange for territorial concessions. He said that history has proven that the root of the conflict is not Israel's not returning to the pre-1967 lines, but rather the refusal of the Palestinians to recognize Israel's right to exist. He said that there is "zero percent chance that Hamas will accept the Quartet conditions" and recognize Israel. He posited that the likely result of the Palestinian unity deal is not that the Palestinian Authority will gain control of Gaza, but rather that Hamas will gain control of the West Bank. Iran was the biggest threat to stability in the Middle East, he said. "There is no conflict in the region that Iran is not involved in." Moreover, all the terror threats against Israel within its borders and abroad were directed by Iran. This, he said, was further proof that Israel's problems with its neighbors were not based on territory.
2014-06-10 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive