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In response, New York Times writers Helene Cooper and Ethan Bronner headlined, "Netanyahu Gives No Ground in Congress Speech," saying:
"....Palestinians will not get a right of return to Israel.... Jerusalem will never again be divided," and Israel's 1967 borders aren't defensible. New ones must incorporate expanding settlements, an IDF presence along the Jordan River, and Palestinians confined to isolated cantons in ghetto communities or worthless scrubland, an offer no responsible leader will accept.
Moreover, he demanded abandonment of Palestinian unity as a precondition for negotiations, saying Hamas rejects Israel's right to exist. In fact, it accepts it in return for a viable Palestinian state within 1967 borders, 22% of historic Palestine, a major concession Israel rejects, wanting all valued parts of Judea and Samaria.
No matter. Congress treated him like visiting royalty, Cooper and Bronner saying he got "so many standing ovations that at times it appeared that the lawmakers were listening to his speech standing up."
Rejecting Netanyahu's Obstructionism
In response, Mahmoud Abbas said he offered "nothing we can build on." In fact, he "traveled far from peace," subverting it by dictating terms, remaining obstructionist like all Israeli leaders.
A May 25 Haaretz editorial was just as harsh, headling "Netanyahu wasted his chance to present a vision for peace," saying:
Instead of new ideas, a constructive vision, and genuine willingness to negotiate equitably, "we were witness to the same old messages," dictating terms, offering nothing substantive in return.
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