diplomats to oppose a drive by the Palestinians to win unilateral
recognition of statehood at the United Nations without negotiating a
peace agreement with Israel.
The delegation of 18
Washington-based ambassadors from four continents and one other senior
diplomat met Netanyahu on day two of a five-day fact-finding mission to
Israel and the West Bank organized by The Israel Project.
“I
am going to ask you not to support this resolution,” Netanyahu told the
group. He said the resolution, which Palestinian leaders are expected
to bring to the United Nations General Assembly next month, could
seriously damage the peace process and make future negotiations much
more difficult.
Such
a resolution, if supported by the General Assembly, would lock future
Palestinian leaders into extreme positions and make it very difficult
for them to make the needed compromises for peace with Israel, Netanyahu
said.
The envoys, most of whom had
never been to Israel, also met on Monday with President Shimon Peres and
Minister for Strategic Affairs Moshe Yaalon.
Netanyahu
received the group in the cabinet room and later gave them a tour of
his office, pointing out an image of an ancient seal from biblical times
bearing his name.
The
Israeli leader again reiterated his readiness to go to Ramallah to meet
with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at any time joking that he
would make the short trip even though it would be a nightmare for his
security detail.
On
Tuesday, the group, representing nations in Europe, Asia, Africa and
the Americas will meet with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in
Ramallah as well as Sir Ronald Cohen of the Portland Trust, a British
non-profit which promotes Palestinian economic development. A recent
poll by The Israel Project showed that job creation is the top priority
for Palestinians.
A
packed schedule also features a helicopter ride over the northern and
southern borders of Israel during which the envoys will see some of the
country’s strategic defense challenges and security threats.
Entrepreneurs
and innovators in alternative energy, agriculture, medicine and
environmental services will brief the group which will also visit
Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation, which
since 1958 has provided development training to more than 200,000
people from around the world.
The
ambassadors will also learn about Israel’s humanitarian programs that
respond to natural disasters around the world and explore opportunities
for bilateral trade. Israeli organizations are currently on the ground
in Japan dealing with the aftermath of this year’s deadly tsunami.
The
trip is sponsored by The Israel Project, an American non-profit
educational organization that provides facts, analysis and background
information about Israel and the Middle East to the media, public
officials and the public. TIP also reaches out to Palestinians and
other Arabs in Arabic through its “People to People” Peace program, which
works to open hearts and minds in the Arab world toward peace and a
better future for both sides.
More than 100,000 people in the Arab world
have signed up as “fans” of the TIP Arabic Facebook page, “Israel
Uncensored” which was launched only two months ago.
