Netanyahu: 'Land for Peace' formula ineffective for Middle East peace
'Land for Peace' is supported by the international community and has served as the legal basis for previous Arab-Israel agreements; 'Peace for Peace' says Israel should hold talks from strength.
By CODY LEVINEPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with US President Donald Trump and UAE Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed via telephone.(photo credit: KOBI GIDEON/GPO)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the prevailing conflict resolution formula of "Land for Peace" on Sunday during an interview with Army Radio, pointing to last Thursday's normalization agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as proof.In his opinion of Israel's foreign policy strategy in relation to the Arab world, an approach of "Peace for Peace" is more effective in comparison to "Land for Peace." The distinction between the two is rooted in a long-standing debate within Israel's foreign policy establishment regarding the most effective approach for promoting a resolution to the Arab-Israel conflict.Land for Peace has the support of the international community and has served as the legal basis for the peace agreements between Israel and Egypt (1979) and Israel and Jordan (1994) – in addition to the Oslo Accords (1993) and Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Peace for Peace, on the other hand, states that Israel is best served by negotiating from a position of strength that precludes any territorial withdrawals from the West Bank.During the interview, Netanyahu said that former prime minister "Ehud Olmert said a month ago it is a dream that an Arab state will make peace with Israel before we bring peace with the Palestinians. I believe the opposite, and I [not only dreamed, but] acted upon this approach – and here we have proof."On the question of applying Israeli sovereignty to Jewish settlements in the West Bank, the prime minister said that "sovereignty has not fallen off the agenda: I'm the one who brought it to the fore with the Trump plan and American support [of annexation]. Not that I had a choice between applying sovereignty or peace with the Emirates right now. They asked for a suspension on the application of sovereignty, and they did not remove it from their plan."Illustrating his support of the Peace for Peace formula to the Arab-Israel conflict, upon which the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a part, Netanyahu noted that "we have brought a historic agreement that breaks the idea that unless we displace localities, we will not bring an official agreement with an Arab state" according to the Land for Peace formula. "We have broken this terrible and dangerous doctrine, and I am proud of it,' he said."Many in the world and in Israel agreed with this dangerous view but I offered another version: peace for peace; peace out of power, without setbacks," Netanyahu added."The Left pushed the idea that Israel should weaken itself with a withdrawal to the 1967 [Green] Lines in order to bring peace with the Arab states. I thought that if we strengthen Israel and make it powerful, the power will bring in the Arab countries."My opposition to the dangerous nuclear agreement with Iran also led [the Arab states] to consider peace with Israel. It is a change of the whole perception – instead of peace out of weakness, peace that requires displacements [the evacuation of settlements] and setbacks, I said that peace out of power" is more effective.In a final concluding statement on the matter, Netanyahu said: "I do not give up on the [application of] sovereignty that I stand for. I promised that we would bring peace with Arab countries and I brought it; I will also bring sovereignty."Those who are telling me to apply sovereignty now told me a few months ago that sovereignty should not be applied because it would lead to a Palestinian state. [Their approach is] not serious."
