US Secretary of State John Kerry revealed new details about the secretive Israeli-Palestinian Authority (PA) peace talks he is pushing through. According to Kerry, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu opposes the idea that NATO forces will secure Israel’s borders in the event of a withdrawal from Judea and Samaria.
That idea was raised by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas last week, who said he would agree to the IDF leaving the region after 5 years, to be replaced by NATO forces “for a long time.”
Speaking to the Washington Post, Kerry said Saturday that “Netanyahu has made it clear he doesn’t want NATO.” However, he stated that the possibility of a third-party being tasked with Israel’s security still “is something for the parties to work out.”
Netanyahu’s opposition comes despite reports that he offered to give the PA full control of over 90% of Judea and Samaria. He has also offered to lease the region from the PA for an extended period of time, and to have Jews live under PA control.
Nevertheless, on this issue Kerry stated that “it’s very important for Israel to ensure in the framework of the talks that the (Jordan) Valley region, which is strategically very important, will be secured by reliable forces, in order to prevent infiltration by terrorists or by weapons from Jordanian territory to the future Palestinian state.”
Kerry also voiced disappointment with opposition to his plan, which includes the establishment of an Arab capital in Jerusalem.
“There are those who do not want a two-state solution, who don’t believe in it. There are those who don’t want to stop settling certain parts of the region.”
The latest statements come after Kerry once again provoked anger in Israel, over comments claiming that “last year, not one Israeli was killed by a Palestinian from the West Bank.” The claim is patently false; the widow of Evyatar Borovsky, one of the several Israelis murdered by an Arab terrorist in Samaria last year, accused Kerry of “living in a world of his own.”
Just last Saturday, Kerry threatened Israel with international boycotts, after reports previously revealed that he himself is orchestrating European boycotts of the Jewish state.
