Israel: Olive Branch or Veiled Threat?

[paraffin]

The Israeli PM, Beniamin Netanyahu, has announced that Israel would recognise a Palestinian state as long as the latter is totally demilitarized and has no armed forces or means of defence whatsoever.
Is this a way forward in the hitherto stagnant road map to peace in the Middle East, or just another example of Israel flexing its military muscles?

[Bobbisox]

the latter I would say paraffin, yet as long as Iran is supplying Hamas, this is a futile suggestion by Israel, how can they expect the Palestinians to simply lie down and have their bellies scratched??
and furthermore, why should they unilateral disarm?
when over the huge concrete wall, Israel have a huge fighting force backed by the USA.

[Gromit]

The fact that an hardliner like Netanyahu says he could live with a Palestinian state is a step in the right direction, but obviously the preconditions would not be acceptable to anyone.

As well as the above conditions, the Palestinian state would not be able to control its own airspace or border controls. Israel would be able to blockade and use an economic stranglehold whenever it wanted.

It is a way of not totally rebuffing Obama's peace initiative's, and trying to keep on good terms with the new administration. But Netanyahu knows no Palestinian could accept such preconditions.

However, the door is still open, and there is still room for manoeuvre and negotiation.

[jno]

at this rate the only country they will be able to recognise is Costa Rica, which doesn't have a military.

[Julnar]

Netanyahu is playing games. As has been mentioned in some of the above posts, his terms are so extreme no right thinking Palestinian leader could possible accept them. It might even be dangerous to do so,as this could promote armed conflict between Palestinians again.

I don't know why both sides cannot accept UN guards at all border posts and ports and a significant UN police force in the West bank and Gaza for an agreed period of say, 50 years, whilst the Palestinians slowly and calmly establish a state that can live peacefully alongside Israel.

[paraffin]

It's a bit like asking turkeys to vote for Christmas, isn't it?

[Lonnie]

Quite simple really, he knows that a Palestine would never accept that, its why he offered it, Netanyahu is not a nice person.

But having said that, Paestine, as it is now, stands for the total destruction of Israel, so its half a dozen of one, and six of the other.