Talk to Al Jazeera - Relative of Netanyahu says PM against Palestinian state

• published: 28 Nov 2015
• views: 158

For the past several weeks, tensions and street violence between the Israelis and Palestinians in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories have taken such a serious turn that many wonder where it will all end. More than 100 people have been killed and thousands have been wounded - the overwhelming majority Palestinians. The question many are now asking is whether there's any room left for the two communities to peacefully negotiate their differences. In this edition of Talk to Al Jazeera in the Field, Al Jazeera's Imtiaz Tyab meets people on both sides of the conflict. With the fundamental argument being about land - in the West Bank, illegal settlements have expanded under the current government - we head to one settlement called Beit El. There we meet Hagai Ben-Artzi, a key settler leader who has a clear opinion about the current conflict and strong views about Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu is married to Ben-Artzi's sister. Ben-Artzi tells us that he thinks Netanyahu does not believe in a two-state solution. "Unfortunately, the Israeli government, including my brother-in-law, Benjamin Netanyahu, they, unfortunately - I'm sad to say that - agreed to the two state solution. "And here, I must say that I have read very carefully, I have also taken part with my brother-in-law in writing his book, in his famous book, A Place Among the Nations. He writes very clearly against the establishment of a Palestinian state. "[What] I feel is that he made a manoeuvre, some kind of tactic: 'I will say that I agree, but I will act against it.' I don't think it's a good move, although it's regarded as sophisticated; but I have told him several times, 'You have to be sincere,' and I believe, and I know that in his heart and in his mind, he is against the Palestinian state." When asked if Netanyahu is essentially lying to the world when he says he believes in a two-state solution, Ben-Artzi responds by saying: "I think that what he is trying to do is to say 'I agree' but to set conditions that he believes will be absolutely unacceptable to the Palestinian side and, as a result, 'I will be good.' The international community will say, 'Oh, he's supporting peace because he is in favour of a Palestinian state.' "But, in fact, it won't happen because he sets so many conditions that it makes it impossible, practically speaking. So it's not really lying; he is saying, 'I'm in favour.' For example: 'I'm in favour of flying in the air, but on condition that you give me a plane. You are not going to give me a plane, and so I won't fly in the air.' Something like this." We then speak to a young Palestinian man and woman who are out protesting, keeping their faces covered to protect their identities. We meet Hala Marshould, a Palestinian woman who has grown up in Israel under the auspices of the Oslo agreement, signed by Israel and the Palestinian authorities in 1993, which was supposed to lead to a Palestinian state. With young Palestinians, sometimes referred to as the "children of Oslo", involved in the violence, Tyab asks Marshould what this expression means to her. She says that these are the young people "proving that Oslo did not come to bring peace". "I think they came as a reaction to Oslo, which they see as also a product of occupation. And they say that it's a product of this system, and it's a continuation to oppression." While discussing the recent violence on the streets, Marshould says that protesting is not about incitement - it's a natural response. "Occupation is a violent act in itself, so any kind of violence that we see is a product." Finally, we head to Hamarakiya restaurant in Jerusalem, which is run by Israeli Noam Francforter and Palestinian Mohammad Nabulsi. We sit down with them at the restaurant to talk about the possibility of coexistence, religious tolerance and educating the younger generation - and the fluctuating hope for a solution. You can talk to Al Jazeera, too. Join our Twitter conversation as we talk to world leaders and alternative voices shaping our times. You can also share your views and keep up-to-date with our latest interviews on Facebook.