Tzachi Hanegbi: Two-narrate resolution is now not tiresome

Jerusalem – An Israeli minister has stated US President Donald Trump’s determination to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital does now not sign the damage of the 2-narrate resolution, with Israel willing to grant Palestinians their hang just narrate nonetheless with restricted sovereignty.

Tzachi Hanegbi, minister of regional cooperation, stated Trump’s controversial determination on December 6 would possibly maybe merely quiet now not hinder Palestinian claims to occupy East Jerusalem as their capital.

« We claim that Jerusalem is our capital and would possibly maybe merely now not be divided, nonetheless that is easiest a claim, now not a diktat, » Hanegbi, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud birthday celebration, told Al Jazeera at his place of enterprise within the Israeli parliament, the Knesset.

Jerusalem stays at the core of the perennial Israel-Palestine battle.

Israel occupied the city’s jap sector in 1967 and proceeded to annex it in breach of global regulations. Palestinian leaders prefer East Jerusalem because the capital of their future narrate. Israel, within the period in-between, insists that the city is its indivisible capital

« Palestinians can claim East Jerusalem as their capital and we can negotiate a settlement. Though we annexed East Jerusalem, it’s quiet up for negotiations, » stated Hanegbi.

Palestinian reaction

But Nasser al-Kidwa, a senior Palestinian official, pushed aside Hanegbi’s remarks on Jerusalem as « nonsense », pronouncing the minister’s phrases would possibly maybe presumably be factual if they had been matched by Israeli actions on the ground.

« Whereas Israeli officers are talking about peace and negotiations, their govt is increasing facts on the ground that can undermine the 2-narrate resolution, » al-Kidwa told Al Jazeera.

« Persevered Israeli defense pressure occupation and constructing unlawful Israeli settlements within the occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank is now not going to construct an damage to the battle, » he stated by phone from Ramallah within the West Bank.

Breaking with years of US policy, Trump on December 6 formally recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, in a dash that drew global condemnation and sparked a wave of heated rallies in make stronger of the Palestinians around the Muslim world.

Leaders within the Middle East and in other places also warned Trump that his controversial determination, moreover his thought to dash the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, would occupy grave implications for the so-called peace project and can lead to further unrest within the Middle East.

No nation for the time being has its embassy in Jerusalem, which is home to holy non secular sites and has specific significance for Muslims, Christians and Jews.

Palestinian officers also called Trump’s dash « a kiss of death to the 2-narrate resolution ».

‘Jerusalem can now not be monopolised’

Earlier this week, the Israeli Knesset passed a regulations making it tougher to divide Jerusalem in any future tackle the Palestinians, a dash described by some as dealing but but any other fatal blow to a that it’s seemingly you’ll presumably have faith two-narrate resolution.

But Hanegbi, a appropriate-waft baby-kisser and shut ally of Netanyahu, blamed the Palestinian management for failing to attain a final settlement to the prolonged-working Israeli-Palestinian battle.

« We do now not reject the fact that Palestinians occupy official aspirations to be just, » the minister of regional cooperation told Al Jazeera.

« From a merely point of glimpse, there are conflicting merely values between Israelis and the Palestinians over which claim over the land is extra official than the diversified. Morally, we bear in mind that millions of Palestinians prefer freedom. »

Asked how he would feel if he became a Palestinian citizen residing within the Palestinian cities of Jaffa, Haifa and Acre sooner than 1948, which later grew to change into phase of Israel, he responded: « I would be feel very disagreeable. That’s why there desires to be a compromise between both peoples. » 

Palestinians, however, rejected Hanegbi’s allegations, pronouncing it’s the Israeli govt that has to this point now not lived as a lot as its signed agreements with the Palestinian Authority (PA).

Al-Kidwa, a member of the central committee of PA President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah faction, stated that given the vastly lopsided steadiness of energy in favour of Israel against the Palestinians, a transparent and company negotiating framework would possibly maybe merely quiet be established first.

« If the Israelis in reality must negotiate a peace settlement with the Palestinians, Israel must first recognise the Palestinian narrate with East Jerusalem as its capital, and easiest then both Palestinians and Israelis can negotiate over diversified complications, » he stated.

« Jerusalem can now not be monopolised by any birthday celebration. Palestinians, who are native to the land, occupy compromised seventy eight p.c of historic Palestine and are in reality easiest looking out out out to construct their narrate over the last 22 p.c within the West Bank and Gaza. »

Talking to Hamas

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Hanegbi also stated that the Israelis had no objection to talk over with Hamas and would be willing to negotiate if it accepts the guidelines space by the Quartet of global peace brokers: recognise Israel, abide by previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements and resign violence as a advance to achieving its objectives.

On the opposite hand, Osama Hamdan, Hamas’ out of the country policy chief, stated such talks would possibly maybe now not choose place beneath the existing prerequisites.

« Negotiating with Israel is futile … beneath the hot Israeli insurance policies within the occupied Palestinian territories, » he told Al Jazeera.

« From trip, Israel is now not looking out out out a resolution to the battle, reasonably to govern the Palestinian folks. Israel’s occupation must damage first, » added Hamdan.

Israeli cooperation with Gulf states

Commenting on regional matters, Hanegbi stated that the Israeli govt has abet-channel ties with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, nonetheless can now not probability acknowledging these with out first reaching a peace settlement with the Palestinians.

« I’m able to now not undoubtedly envisage them willing to cooperate publicly with Israel unless the Israeli-Palestinian battle is transferring forward, » he stated.

« There’s a pair of extra or much less cooperation with Israel now, as Prime Minister Netanyahu has hinted at within the previous. Moreover, we never heard a utter from the Gulf states denouncing these reports or pronouncing it’s now not factual,” he stated.

Hanegbi also stated he has no records of a secret deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia or diversified Arab states to make a Gaza-easiest Palestinian narrate, in what has been referred to in global press because the « final deal ».

Jordan ties

In his interview with Al Jazeera, Israel’s minister of regional cooperation also highlighted the importance of Jordanian-Israeli members of the family, calling Amman « a strategic ally » of his nation.

Israel-Jordan members of the family reached a crisis stage when an Israeli embassy guard shot and killed two Jordanian citizens, along with a 17-Twelve months-used, in July 2017.

Israel’s govt alleges the teenage boy had attacked the Israeli guard.

Israel’s ambassador and diversified embassy team returned to Israel amid public demands for the guard to stand trial in Jordan.

« The governmentof Israel would possibly maybe merely quiet topic a formal apology to Jordan over the accidental killing of the Jordanian doctor, » stated Hanegbi.

Referring to the snag within the ties between the 2 countries, Hanegbi stated that « Israel would possibly maybe merely quiet give Jordan a ladder to climb down from the excessive tree it climbed up ».

He stated a joint Jordanian water canal project between the Pink Sea and the Dumb Sea is now not transferring forward on account of disagreements over which nation is to blame for its maintenance.

« The Jordanians would desire to head forward with the project nonetheless we occupy some reservations over who can pay for the hazard of the project attributable to it’s wholly on Jordanian soil. »

Apply Ali Younes on Twitter @ali_reports