A senior Israeli official has blasted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for directing Tel Aviv towards sanctions through unwillingness for progress in talks with the Palestinians.

"Netanyahu's conduct is leading to sanctions, boycotting," said the unnamed official, Israeli website Ynet News reported on Friday.

The premier had adopted the attitude, while, 'Today Israel is in a more poor and sensitive condition than it was in 1948," the official said, referring to the year of the occupation of Palestine by Israel.

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not really willing to move forward with the negotiations."

Palestinian and Israeli negotiators began a fresh round of talks in July. Previous talks broke down in September 2010 after Tel Aviv refused to freeze its settlement activities in the occupied West Bank.

Palestinians are seeking to create an independent state on the territories of the West Bank, East al-Quds (Jerusalem), and the Gaza Strip and are demanding Israel withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territories.

Tel Aviv, however, has refused to return to the 1967 borders and is unwilling to discuss the issue of al-Quds. Even days before the start of the talks, Israel announced plans for more than 2,000 new settler units in East al-Quds and the West Bank, which angered Palestinians.

Netanyahu "only wants to preserve his status in his party and everyone knows what it looks like," the Israeli official noted.

By Press TV

 

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