Κυριακή 15 Φεβρουαρίου 2015

When Netanyahu closed the door on peace talks

The following story probably won’t dispel the widespread notion among the Israeli public and 

leadership that since the Second Intifada there has been no partner on the Palestinian side. 

This is a notion that is based on statements from politicians from the right, among others, who 

claim that every time the moment of truth comes, PA President Mahmoud Abbas rejects peace 

agreements.


Quick Watch0:59
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres seen during a ceremony laying a founding stone for the National Memorial Hall for IDF victims of war on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem on April 30, 2014. (Photo credit: David Vaaknini/POOL/Flash 90)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres seen during a ceremony laying a founding stone 
for the National Memorial Hall for IDF victims of war on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem on April 30, 2014. 
(Photo credit: David Vaaknini/POOL/Flash 90)




But in at least one instance, that preconception proved unfounded, even false. Less than four 


years ago, it wasn’t Abbas who ran away from the table, but rather Prime Minister Benjamin 

Netanyahu, who declined to advance talks between Abbas and then-president Shimon Peres.