Bibi Spills the Beans
Liel Leibovitz and Gideon Levy have the rundown on a just-publicized tape of Benjamin Netanyahu from 2001. Addressing an audience at the West Bank settlement of Ofra without realizing that the cameras are running, Netanyahu claims that he has “de facto put an end to the Oslo accords” and boasts of his ability to manipulate U.S. policymakers. Among the tape’s highlights (from Liebovitz’s writeup):
“I know what America is. America is a thing you can move very easily, move it in the right direction. They won’t get in their way.”
On getting the U.S. to concede to Israel the right to define which areas of the West Bank were “closed military zones: “From that moment on, I de facto put an end to the Oslo accords.”
“They asked me before the election if I’d honor [the Oslo accords]. I said I would, but … I’m going to interpret the accords in such a way that would allow me to put an end to this galloping forward to the ’67 borders. How did we do it? Nobody said what defined military zones were. Defined military zones are security zones; as far as I’m concerned, the entire Jordan Valley is a defined military zone. Go argue.”
Bill Clinton is “radically pro-Palestinian”.
With the exception of the last line about Clinton, all of these statements appear to fit Michael Kinsley’s definition of a gaffe — that is, when a politician unwittingly tells the truth.
En Español
The Latest
From IPS News
- Education Cannot Wait Interviews Amy Clarke, Co-Founder and Chief Impact Officer for Tribe Impact Capital LLP
- Latin America’s Shifting Demographics Could Undercut Growth
- Cuban Family Harnesses Biogas and Promotes its Benefits
- Climate Crisis in Mountains: Borderless Struggle for Frontline Communities
- Niger’s Military Coup Triggers Child Marriages, Sex Work in Neighboring Countries
- Gaza Teetering on the Brink of Mass Starvation
- Harnessing Science-Policy Collaboration: The Vital Role of IPBES Stakeholders in Achieving Global Nature Targets
- AI Policy Can’t Ignore Climate Change: We Need Net Zero AI Emissions
- Conditions Worsen for Belarus Migrants Stuck in ‘Death Zone’ on EU Border
- Another Climate Victory in Europe… and Counting
- Online fundraising for IPS Inter Press Service at Razoo