Opposition leader says talks with Ramallah should be in Israel’s interest, urges 2-state solution; Palestinians ‘need to be proactive instead of victimizing themselves forever’

AFP — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has “no intention” of discussing peace with the Palestinians, opposition leader Yair Lapid said ahead of the signing of the landmark Israeli deal with the UAE.

US President Donald Trump will host a ceremony on Tuesday at which Netanyahu will sign a full treaty with the United Arab Emirates and a declaration of peace with Bahrain, the first accords Israel has agreed with Arab states since Jordan in 1994.
While centrist leader Lapid welcomed the Gulf deals, he argued Israel should also resume peace negotiations with the Palestinians.

“The current government is saying we have achieved agreements with moderate Sunni countries without paying the price of negotiating with the Palestinians. What I say is it’s not a price. It’s an Israeli interest,” he told AFP at his parliamentary office.

The Palestinian leadership has slammed the Gulf deals for going against decades of consensus among Arab states that a Palestinian peace deal is a prerequisite for ties with Israel.

Lapid, who heads the Yesh Atid-Telem alliance, criticized the Palestinians for waiting for the Arab world and the international community to “do the job for them.”

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