ISRAEL: Israeli peace protesters call on Prime Minister Netanyahu to support the establishment of a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders

Record ID: 349339

  • Title: ISRAEL: Israeli peace protesters call on Prime Minister Netanyahu to support the establishment of a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders
  • Date: 5th June 2011
  • Summary: TEL AVIV , ISRAEL (JUNE 4, 2011) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF THOUSANDS OF DEMONSTRATORS HOLDING BANNERS READING IN HEBREW "YES TO A PALESTINIAN STATE" AND "PEACE NOW" MORE OF DEMONSTRATORS MARCHING, HOLDING ISRAELI FLAGS AND BANNERS SUPPORTING PALESTINIAN STATE ON 1967 BORDERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) ADAM KELLER, SPOKESPERSON FOR "GUSH SHALOM", THE ISRAELI PEACE BLOCK, SAYING:
  • Embargoed: 20th June 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Israel, Israel
  • Country: Israel
  • Topics: International Relations,Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA66F1QN9G24SRWIEEBUCJKC4Q3
  • Story Text: An estimated 4,000 Israelis held a mass demonstration on Saturday (June 4) calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to support the establishment of a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders.
    Netanyahu has rejected any withdrawal to the borders existing before Israel captured the West Bank in a 1967 war, insisting such a frontier would be "indefensible."
    The spokesperson of the Israeli peace block "Gush Shalom" told Reuters Television that Netanyahu was leading the country to a disaster.
    "Israel should recognise the state of Palestine. Israel should make peace with the Palestinians. Israel should accept the 67' borders as the basis of peace. We think that the government is leading us to disaster, that Netanyahu is leading us to disaster," said Adam Keller during the demonstration.
    Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas cautiously welcomed on Saturday a French idea to convene Israeli and Palestinian negotiators in Paris by next month to try and renew collapsed peace talks.
    French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe had proposed in talks this week that the sides meet about ideas raised last month by U.S. President Barack Obama, so as to avert a showdown at the United Nations about a Palestinian statehood bid in September.
    Netanyahu has yet to respond publicly to the French idea, which calls for Israeli and Palestinian negotiators to meet this month or by early July with an eye to reviving talks which broke off last year in a dispute on Jewish settlement building in land Palestinians seek for a state.
    The Palestinians say that unless there is a breakthrough, they will unilaterally seek U.N. recognition of statehood in September -- a step Israel strongly opposes.
    Israel fears such a move would leave it isolated and the United States has already said it opposes the plan -- a position which could kill off the initiative in the U.N. Security Council before it can reach the General Assembly.
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