Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Monday that Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat "will not budge a nanometer" in his positions and approach toward peace talks with Israel. Erekat and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas have demanded that Israel halt settlement construction and set other preconditions to direct negotiations.
Speaking to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Netanyahu accused Erekat of breaking an agreement to not speak publicly about the talks taking place in Amman between the two sides, saying "We decided in advance that we would not talk about what happens in the talks." Israel, he asserted, has kept its side of the agreement.
Discussing a deadline set by the Quartet, which Israel and the Palestinian Authority dispute the exact date of, Netanyahu explained that according to Jerusalem, the clock started only after the first meeting between the two sides on January 3. According to that calculation, the deadline is April 3, compared to the deadline declared by the Palestinians, January 26,
Israel, he said, passed a 21-point document to the Palestinians earlier this month, which he said would enjoy a consensus in Israel. "Everyone in this room would agree to them."
When it comes to peace talks, the prime minister said, "Treaties are good, but in our reality, security comes before peace."
Netanyahu also spelled out what actions he believes need to be taken against Iran in order to stop its drive toward nuclear proliferation.
Until there are "real and effective sanctions against Iran’s petroleum industry and central bank," the prime minister said, "there will be no real effect on Iran’s nuclear program."