Bibi Needs to Toughen Up

So Bibi will stave off a unilateral declaration of “palestinian” statehood by essentially just handing over statehood to them himself. What a brilliant strategy! How about simply asserting Israel’s right to Judea and Samaria?

Via Israpundit:
>Netanyahu mulling West Bank pullout to stave off ‘diplomatic tsunami’

HAARETZ DISTORTED BIBI’S REMARKS. HE NEVER SAID TO STAVE OFF A TSUNAMI.

By Barak Ravid, HAARETZ

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is weighing a withdrawal of Israel Defense Forces troops from the West Bank and a series of other measures to block the “diplomatic tsunami” that may follow international recognition of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders at the United Nations General Assembly in September.

The extent of the withdrawal is still unclear, but at this stage Netanyahu is not considering the evacuation of settlements.

Netanyahu believes that there is very little chance of resuming negotiations with the Palestinians but is examining ideas for steps that would be taken in the absence of negotiations to demonstrate an Israeli diplomatic initiative that would rally the United States, the European Union and other Western countries against a unilateral Palestinian move in the UN.

Netanyahu commented on the matter during a meeting with European Union envoys on Monday, after he was asked whether he planned to give a political address soon.

“I have not decided what to say, and when to say it,” the prime minister said.

Netanyahu said: “But two questions should be asked. The first, whether it is at all possible to resume negotiations with the Palestinians? The second question is what actions can be undertaken if resumption of negotiations proves impossible?

Conversations with two Israeli sources with ties to Netanyahu’s bureau led to the conclusion that there are three main ideas being considered.

The first involves another withdrawal in the West Bank, which would see the IDF forces redeploy and security responsibility handed over to the Palestinian Authority. This would mean that in Area B, where Israel has security responsibility and the Palestinians civilian policing functions, full control would be ceded to the PA. In addition, some parts of Area C, where Israel has complete control, will become Area B.

Attorney Isaac Molcho, who advises the prime minister, raised this idea in a meeting with emissaries of the Quartet in Jerusalem last week.

Netanyahu is still uncertain to what extent the withdrawal would be, but it will probably not include the evacuation of settlements. continue