Israeli PM supports proposed two-state solution 

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid expressed his support for a two-state solution with Palestinians during a speech at the UN General Assembly in New York, despite resistance from within his country. Conditions would apply though. 

What conditions? 

While disclosing his position on the subject, Lapid insisted that the potential Palestinian state that will exist must be peaceful and free from terror. “If that condition is met, then the best path forward is an agreement with the Palestinians based on two states for two peoples”, Lapid said. It marked the first time an Israeli PM has publicly backed the two-state solution, which would establish an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel, since 2016. 

Has he always held this thought? 

That’s hard to tell, but he says that he is not alone. “Despite all the obstacles, still today a large majority of Israelis support the vision of this two-state solution. I am one of them,” Lapid said, adding that it “is the right thing for Israel’s security, for Israel’s economy, and for the future of our children”. Lapid also touched on Iran and its nuclear weapons negotiations with the West, arguing that the time had come to abandon the 2015 deal and negotiate a new one. 

What propositions did he make concerning the new deal? 

Lapid argued that force might be needed to bring Iran around. “The only way to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon is to put a credible military threat on the table.  It needs to be made clear to Iran that if it advances its nuclear program, the world will not respond with words, but with military force. Every time a threat like that was put on the table in the past, Iran stopped, and retreated.” Lapid argued. He also made his displeasure known over how the U.S. and other world leaders have watched while Iran continues its mission to destroy the state of Israel. 

“Israel is not a “guest in this building,” Lapid said, reiterating that “Israel is a proud sovereign nation” and “an equal member of the United Nations. While insisting that Israel will do all it can to stop the threat of Iran to Israel, Lapid noted that his country is willing and open to peaceful coexistence with the Arab world. “Israel seeks peace with our neighbors. We call upon every Muslim country – from Saudi Arabia to Indonesia – to recognize that and to come to talk to us. Our hand is outstretched for peace”, he said.