“No nation is an occupier in its own country,” Finance and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett of the right-wing Jewish Home party says in response to Obama’s Jerusalem speech.
“Obama’s words surely stemmed from concern for Israel and true friendship, but we experienced the results of our previous withdrawal this morning in Sderot and in the form of thousands of casualties during the last few years,” Bennett says.
“It’s time for new perceptions and creativity in [the search] for a solution to the Middle East conflict,” he adds.
During his speech, Obama said that Israelis must recognize that settlements are counterproductive and that a future Palestinian state “must be viable” and contiguous.
US President Barack Obama delivers a speech at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem, Thursday. (photo credit: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Obama discussed the Palestinian predicament, noting the presence of a “foreign army” controlling movement and a failure to punish settler violence. Just as Jews deserve independence, so do Palestinians, he said.
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