Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday said in a testy exchange with a BBC reporter that the Palestinians are not willing to negotiate with the Israelis to quell the violence in Jerusalem.
When asked by reporter Lyse Doucet whether he was prepared to return to the negotiating table with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, Mr. Netanyahu angrily questioned whether the reporter and he were “living on the same planet” and told her to “get with the program.”
“I’ve been calling day in, day out, in every forum. In the United Nations, in the U.S. Congress, in Israel, in Jerusalem, in Tel Aviv. … I’ve called on President Abbas to resume unconditional negotiations immediately,” he said, the BBC reported.
“I’m willing to meet him, he’s not willing to meet me, and you ask me about the resumption of negotiations?” Mr. Netanyahu asked angrily. “Come on, get with the program. These people don’t want negotiations, and they are inciting violence. Direct your questions to them.”
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Israel in the coming days to seek a peaceful resolution between the two leaders.
Seven Israelis and 32 Palestinians have been killed in the past two weeks of violence, including 10 assailants, as well as children and protesters shot in anti-Israeli demonstrations.
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The violence has been partly triggered by Palestinians’ anger over what they see as increased Jewish encroachment on Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque compound, which is also revered by Jews as the site of two destroyed biblical Jewish temples.
• Kellan Howell can be reached at khowell@washingtontimes.com.
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