French President Nicolas Sarkozy said yesterday that there could be no Mideast peace unless Israel drops its refusal to cede sovereignty over parts of Jerusalem claimed by the Palestinians.
Speaking to a packed Knesset plenum at a special session in his honor, Sarkozy called on Israel to put an end to West Bank settlement. But he tempered his address by assuring Israel that it could count on France's support in halting Iran's nuclear program.
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Turning to the issue of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the French president was not sparing in his criticism of Israel's conduct vis-a-vis the Palestinians. He said that the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of both Israel and a Palestinian state was a condition for peace.
The Palestinians, he said, "have the right to a viable state of their own." He added that such a state would "ensure Israel's security."
He urged Israel to establish a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. "We must tell friends the truth, and the truth is that Israel's security can never be assured unless an independent, modern, democratic and viable Palestinian state is established finally beside it," he said.
He also called on Israel to stop the construction in East Jerusalem and the West Bank settlements, and said that there would be "no peace without a solution to the problem of the Palestinian refugees," a key sticking point in negotiations between the two sides.
The French leader further urged Israel to "encourage legislation that would entice settlers to leave the West Bank."
"There will be no peace if the Palestinians do not fight terrorism," Sarkozy said. "Each side has to make an effort. Peace is not possible if the Palestinians cannot move about freely."
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