With 'no-state' pledge, Netanyahu reignites Palestine debate

[WorldNews]

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By Luke Baker JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The day before Israel's election, with polls showing he could lose, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the Palestinians would never have their own state on his watch. It was a sweeping statement that flew in the face of his own past commitments and 25 years of international efforts to arrive at a two-state solution to the conflict: Israel and an independent Palestine living side-by-side. France and Germany called on the new government to stick to the two-state goal and the European Union counseled calm at a "crucial moment". The United Nations said the only way for Israel to remain democratic was to stick to the peace process, which sees two states as the final objective.

 

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