Exclusive: Netanyahu says don't get 'hung up' on peace with Palestinians first - CNN

CNN  — 

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said radical tin get “hung up” connected bid negotiations with the Palestinians, saying helium has opted for a antithetic attack successful an interrogation with CNN’s Jake Tapper connected Tuesday.

“When efficaciously the Arab-Israeli struggle (comes) to an end, I deliberation we’ll ellipse backmost to the Palestinians and get a workable bid with the Palestinians,” helium said.

Asked by Tapper astir the Biden administration’s concerns that settlements successful the occupied West Bank could exacerbate tensions, Netanyahu pointed to the occurrence of the Trump-era Abraham Accords that normalized relations betwixt Israel and respective Arab countries.

“I went astir them (Palestinians), I went straight to the Arab states and forged with a caller conception of peace… I forged 4 historical bid agreements, the Abraham Accords, which is doubly the fig of bid agreements that each my predecessors successful 70 years got combined.”

His comments travel astatine a tense infinitesimal for Israel. Palestinians and Israelis person suffered unspeakable bloodshed successful the past week, and fears are increasing that the concern volition spiral retired of control. Last Thursday was the deadliest time for Palestinians successful the occupied West Bank successful astir 2 years, followed by a shooting adjacent a Jerusalem synagogue Friday nighttime – which Israel has deemed 1 of its worst panic attacks successful caller years.

The Biden medication has advocated for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but determination has been precise small question and seemingly fewer progressive efforts toward that extremity by Netanyahu oregon Palestinian leaders.

Analysts accidental the Abraham Accords person besides done small to mean Israel’s presumption connected the Palestinians. When asked what concession Israel would assistance Palestinian territories, Netanyahu responded: “Well, I’m surely consenting to person them person each the powers that they request to govern themselves. But nary of the powers that could endanger (us) and this means that Israel should person the overriding information responsibility.”

There are hopes that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s travel to Israel and the West Bank this week would help chill rising tensions.

But some administrations look to beryllium connected other sides of the coin erstwhile it comes to Israeli settlements. Netanyahu vowed this week that Israel would “strengthen” settlements successful effect to shooting attacks successful Jerusalem, a presumption Blinken cautioned against connected Tuesday.

When asked astir US concerns that expanding Israeli settlements connected Palestinian onshore could hamper bid prospects, Netanyahu said: “Well, I wholly disagree.”

Biden and Netanyahu person a analyzable relationship, particularly implicit Iran. Netanyahu clashed with erstwhile US President Barack Obama implicit negotiations with the Palestinians, past again much openly implicit the Iran atomic deal – which Biden would similar to re-enter.

Netanyahu explained his presumption connected Iran to Tapper, saying, “If you person rogue regimes that are (intending to get) atomic weapons, you tin motion 100 agreements with them, it doesn’t help.”

“I deliberation the lone mode that you tin halt oregon abstain from getting atomic weapons is simply a operation of crippling economical sanctions, but the astir important thing, is simply a credible subject threat,” helium said.

Iran has said its atomic programme is lone for peaceful purposes and that it formally halted its weapons program, but US officials warned Iran’s uranium enrichment activities person gone acold beyond the parameters of the failed 2015 atomic woody since erstwhile US President Trump exited it. Last week, the International Atomic Energy Agency main warned that Tehran has amassed capable worldly for “several atomic weapons” and urged diplomatic efforts to restart to forestall specified a scenario.

Another constituent of contention among among US allies has been Israel’s ambivalent stance connected Ukraine. Since Russia’s penetration of Ukraine, Israel has been performing a diplomatic balancing enactment successful relations with Moscow.

Although it has officially condemned the penetration and regularly sends assistance to Ukraine, Israel has yet to nonstop the Ukrainians weapons, and has been criticized for not being much forceful successful its disapproval of Russia.

Israel does not privation to upset Russia erstwhile the Israeli aerial unit is looking to deed targets crossed the borderline successful Syria. Israel has launched hundreds of strikes against its neighbour successful caller years, mostly aimed astatine disrupting Iran’s proviso of precision-guided rocket exertion to Hezbollah.

Netanyahu referenced this analyzable script to Tapper, adding that Israel has been “taking enactment against definite weapons development” successful Iran. He nevertheless refused to confirm oregon contradict whether Israel was down drone attacks astatine a subject works successful Iran’s cardinal metropolis of Isfahan implicit the weekend.

“I ne'er speech astir circumstantial operations… and each clip immoderate detonation takes spot successful the Middle East, Israel is blamed oregon fixed work – sometimes we are sometimes we’re not.”

The wide-ranging interrogation touched connected concerns astir Netanyahu’s cabinet, described arsenic the most acold close and spiritual successful the country’s history, which has already faced interior tensions and wide nationalist protests.

Netanyahu’s governing conjugation relies connected the enactment of a fig of nationalist governmental figures erstwhile consigned to the fringes of Israeli politics.

Netanyahu dismissed concerns astir the inflammatory rhetoric and actions of these members, saying: “I’ve got my 2 hands connected the wheel.”

Pressed connected immoderate of those utmost statements – including reports that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich described himself arsenic a “fascist homophobe” – Netanyahu said: “Well, a batch of radical accidental a batch of things erstwhile they’re not successful power. They benignant of temper themselves erstwhile they get into power. And that’s surely the lawsuit here.”

Netanyahu accused critics of hypocrisy and not holding a akin lens against his predecessors, portion adding: “Look, I’m controlling the government, and I’m liable for its policies, and the policies are sensible, and responsible, and proceed to beryllium that.”

The six-time premier curate besides rejected disapproval of his government’s propulsion for judicial reforms, that would springiness parliament (and by hold the parties successful power) the quality to overturn ultimate tribunal rulings, name judges, and region from ministries ineligible advisers whose ineligible proposal is binding.

This comes aft helium was forced to disregard cardinal state Aryeh Deri from his ministerial posts aft the High Court ruled that it was unreasonable to name the Shas enactment person to positions successful authorities owed to his transgression convictions.

Netanyahu told Tapper that helium believed the changes would “make ideology stronger.”

His state has seen ongoing demonstrations against judicial reforms, drafting tens of thousands of Israelis to the streets successful January.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu continues to look charges connected 3 abstracted cases in a long-running corruption proceedings that has dogged him politically. He has repeatedly denied each the charges against him, and has described the proceedings arsenic a “witch hunt.”

When asked whether determination was an information to claims that Netanyahu was trying to override the judiciary owed to his ain interests, helium said “that’s false. None of the reforms that we’re talking about… person thing to bash with my trial.”