Netanyahu still sees no peace

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has once again voiced pessimism over the prospects of peace with the Palestinians. On his visit to Washington he suggested that the stalemate was likely to remain in place.

The Israeli leader, known to be aligned with Republicans in Congress, was speaking at the Center for American Progress, a think tank in the US capital.

His comments came amid growing violence that has raised fears over the potential for a new Palestinian uprising. The unrest has seen 10 Israelis and at least 77 people on the Palestinian side — one of them an Israeli Arab — killed since October 1.

The international community has condemned Israeli settlement building as a threat to the Middle East peace process by eroding the basis for a future Palestinian state.

During a meeting with US President Barack Obama at the White House Monday, Netanyahu tried to bury suggestions — fueled by his own re-election campaign comments — that he does not support the creation of a Palestinian state.

The day before the israeli elections Netanyahu said that he would not permit a Palestinian state to be created under his watch.

The statement was commented by the US president, Barack Obama;

“That is why we’ve got to evaluate what other options are available to make sure that we don’t see a chaotic situation in the region,” the president told the Huffington Post in his first public comments about Netanyahu’s win in the elections.