Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu accuses international community of "deafening silence" on Hamas threats

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during an event with foreign press in Jerusalem, Dec. 10, 2012. / AP

JERUSALEM Israel's prime minister on Monday accused the international community of "deafening silence" in response to recent vows by the head of the Hamas militant group to fight on until the Jewish state is destroyed, and appeared unmoved by the gathering storm of global condemnation of his government's plans to continue settling the West Bank.

Benjamin Netanyahu's tough words were likely to deepen the rift between Israel and some of its closest allies, particularly in Europe, that has emerged since the U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly voted in favor of Palestinian independence last month. In a sign of the tense relations, European Union foreign ministers were gathered in Brussels to condemn new settlement construction that Netanyahu has authorized in response to the U.N. decision.

Speaking to foreign reporters, Netanyahu accused the international community of having double standards, condemning not-yet-built settlements in the West Bank while standing quiet during a historic visit to the Gaza Strip by Hamas' exiled leader, Khaled Mashaal.

• Hamas leader visits Gaza, signaling group's rising clout
• Palestinians to ask U.N. to stop Israel settlement plans
• Netanyahu stands firm on new settlement plans

Making his first trip to the Hamas-ruled territory over the weekend, Mashaal delivered a series of speeches to throngs of supporters vowing to wipe Israel off the map. The visit underscored Hamas' rising clout and regional acceptance since its eight-day conflict with Israel last month.

75 Photos

Israel, Palestinians in deadly clashes

Netanyahu also directed his ire at Hamas' rival, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, for not speaking out.

"This weekend the leader of Hamas, sitting next to the Hamas leader of Gaza, a man who praised Osama Bin Laden, this weekend openly called for the destruction of Israel. Where was the outrage? Where were the U.N. resolutions? Where was President Abbas?" Netanyahu said.

"Why weren't Palestinian diplomats summoned to European and other capitals to explain why the PA president not only refused to condemn this but actually declared his intention to unite with Hamas. There was nothing, there was silence and it was deafening silence," he added.

Netanyahu has long complained that the world unfairly singles out Israel for criticism. In Monday's address, he accused the United Nations of passing an unbalanced resolution that supported Palestinian independence but did not address Israeli security concerns.

The U.N. resolution recognized a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, territories captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war. Just eight countries sided with Israel in opposing the vote.

Although it does not end Israel's occupation of the West Bank and east Jerusalem, the resolution gave an international endorsement to the Palestinian position on the borders between Israel and a future Palestine. It also amounted to a broad condemnation of Israeli settlements in the two areas. Israel withdrew its troops and settlers from Gaza in 2005.

Netanyahu, who rejects a return to Israel's 1967 lines, responded to the U.N. resolution with plans to build thousands of new homes in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. The most contentious plan is to develop a corridor linking east Jerusalem and Maaleh Adumim, one of the largest Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

CBS

The Palestinians say this project, known as E1, would deal a death blow to any hopes for peace since it would separate the West Bank from east Jerusalem, their hoped-for capital, and drive a deep wedge between the northern and southern parts of the West Bank by creating a string of settlements jutting nearly halfway across the West Bank.

Israeli officials say construction on the E1 project is years away. But the country has come under fierce criticism by its closest allies, the U.S. and major countries in Western Europe.

Last week, a string of Israeli ambassadors were summoned for official reprimand in European capitals, and on Monday, EU foreign ministers gathered in Brussels to discuss a response to the plan.

Sweden's foreign minister, Carl Bildt, said the Israeli construction plans have caused "extreme concern" in the 27-nation EU. "What the Israelis did on E1 has shifted opinions in Europe," Bildt said as he arrived for the meeting. "I don't think the Israelis are aware of this."

The Palestinians say they turned to the U.N. in frustration after a four-year freeze in peace efforts under Netanyahu. The Palestinians say they will not resume talks unless Netanyahu halts settlement construction and accepts the 1967 lines as the basis for talks.

Netanyahu played down the international criticism and blamed the Palestinians for the impasse. He noted that a 10-month partial settlement freeze he imposed in 2010 had failed to restart negotiations.

"The reason why the Palestinians avoided negotiations for the past four years is a very simple one. They avoided negotiations because they were willing to take concessions from Israel but they were not prepared to make concessions to Israel," he said.

Netanyahu said that negotiations should resume without any conditions, and even held out the possibility of abandoning the E1 plan.

"We remain committed and this is what we prefer, a bilateral negotiation without preconditions in which all these questions can be raised, that is our preference and I hope the Palestinian Authority will go that route because it is better for them and it is better for us," he said.

While Netanyahu's term has been characterized by tensions with Israel's allies, he remains popular at home and appears set to win a new term as head of a hard-line coalition in parliamentary elections next month.

Netanyahu told the audience he had made great gains during his term. He claimed he had helped draw attention to Iran's suspect nuclear program, beefed up Israel's cybersecurity and missile defenses, and fortified Israel's southern border with Egypt to prevent militant attacks and waves of African migrants from entering the country.

Yet in a moment of candor, he signaled that his sometimes rocky relations with President Barack Obama could have been handled better. "Who doesn't have regrets?"

[wayneburke]

Ariel Sharon's life work was the exact opposite of the life work of the Dr Rev Martin Luther King Jr.

Unit 101
Settlements
Sabra and Shatila
Al Aqsa
Separation Wall
Gaza Disengagement

Sharon's life work resulted in the artificial creation of nemesis ideologies, followed step by step as it happened by the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council in the form of the longest list of Resolutions that applied to any UN member state. Ariel Sharon imposed his unruly reputation upon Israel and Israel has failed to repudiate it. The trust in Israel that was damaged will someday be rebuilt, the only question is when will there be a righteous Knesset and Prime Minister? Ariel Sharon's legacies are Hamas and the Price Tag Gang that are two sides of the same coin - they represent the racism and hatred that the Dr Rev Martin Luther King Jr. fought.

[iCi2i_befree]

Gaza is nothing but the largest open air prison in the world. It is, by Israeli design, held at a line hovering around extreme poverty Israel has argued that only it could grant a Palestinian state even though we all know by now that it's policies are designed to make certain that never happens. Now they're ticked off at the UN so these settlements will effectively BISECT the West Bank meaning a contiguous Palestinian state will NO LONGER BE POSSIBLE. Clever but obvious little game they like to play - so who's the terrorist here? If you stuck me in Gaza for 40 years of Israeli oppression, I'd lob whatever I could find at my tormenters too - my life would be over anyway. Israelis are guilty of crimes against humanity and someday these "chosen ones" will pay for their sins.

[Rightnreason]

These new towns will not bisect the West Bank at all. They are on a hilltop in the area between Jerusalem and Maale Adumim. There are still routes around the towns, in fact the towns aren't even in the area between Jerusalem and Jordan, the area that if Israel built a super long city in would bisect the West Bank. So don't wory, your dreamy Palestinian state would still be able to exist.

40 years of Israel oppression?? I assume you mean 40 years ago when Israel liberated the West Bank from Jordan... Like CHUCK766 said, Gaza was evacuated of Jews in 2005. It was given to the PA to create a state. Hamas took over forcibly and instead of a state they built bombs and declared that they would not stop until all of Israel was destroyed. So tell me, if a two state solution ever happens and then Hamas continues to attack Israel, will you support Israel then?

[ajay_rana]

Israel has suffered a lot in its past (see the history of Jews in the past 100 of years) and still the Arab borne Palestinians are trying to annoy it. Netanyahu is right that EU and US have become blinded that they have ignored and not recognized the militant leader Mr. Meshal speech in Gaza and it is absolutely contradictory to the truce that was made by the newly elected President of Egypt who is constantly trying to summon power with no solidarity in its own country (Egypt crisis). The threat of terrorism of Palestine is a threat to the US and EU also where many Jews brother are scattered around. Israel has created stupendous amount of vibrant technologies and excelling constantly in Science, with anumber of Nobel Luarates from such a small country. But Palestinians gives only threats and spread terrorism. Save Israel, save science and end terrorism, all I want to say to EU and US.

[Thinker2-0]

Anyone who thinks Bibi wants "peace" with the Palestinians is disillusioned. All Bibi wants is enough time to "get rid of" the Palestinians. The plan is to make life so miserable for the Palestinians that they will leave voluntarily as many already have. This has always been the Israeli policy. Ehud Barrack is on record saying he wanted to "stall the peace process for ten years...enough time for Israel to annex Jerusalem."

The international community, save for us Americans, sees Bibi for what he is: an opportunist. He will keep milking American taxpayers through organizations like AIPAC and he will keep building settlements.

The only remedy that we Taxpayers have is to call our congressmen/senators etc. ha! like that's going to work. It's common knowledge that any politician who's not a "friend of Israel" is openly threatened by the likes of AIPAC and Alan Dershowitz. It's a sad state of affairs when just a number of people can fool an entire nation to shoot itself in the foot

[BrunoBuhr]

"Palestine from the river to the sea, from the north to the south, is our land and we will never give up one inch or any part of it."

"Palestine was, still is and will always be Arab and Islamic," Mashaal said. "Palestine belongs to us and to no one else. We can never recognize the legitimacy of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Palestine belongs to us, and not to the Zionists."

-Khaled Mashaal

If you change some of the above words and the statement was...

"Israel was, still is and will always be Israel's and Jewish," Netanyahu said. "Israel belongs to us and to no one else. We can never recognize the legitimacy of the Arab occupation of the Temple Mount. Jerusalem belongs to us, and not to the Islamists." CBS might think it is important enough for a whole front page! It would be all we could hear or read. Everywhere would be condemnation of Israel! I stand with Netanyahu! Where is the horror at what this monster has screamed? SILENCE!

[indigenadh]

If you are a secularist who believes in the separation of church and state, you do not support Zionism or any other state sponsored religion. Democracy is the alternative. That would mean a country where everyone, regardless of religious affiliation or lack thereof, would have equal status. That is not the Israel of today. Zionism is discrimination in favor of one religion and it must go.