Commenting on the Israeli prime minister's announcement that he would be prepared to recognise a Palestinian state alongside Israel, Green Party leader Caroline Lucas MEP said today:
"Anything that brings Israelis and Palestinians closer to a permanent peaceful settlement must be applauded.
"However, I can understand why Palestinians would be very unhappy with Mr Netanyahu's preconditions. For a new state to have no control of its borders or its airspace would simply not be fair. To recognise a state on condition that it has no armed forces and is not allowed to make defensive military alliances is not really recognising its sovereignty."
Dr Lucas added: "The Green Party obviously recognises Israel's need for security. We unequivocally condemn all acts of terrorism against Israelis. We vehemently oppose anti-semitism."
"And by exactly the same reasoning, we cannot support the idea that a government with a track record of illegal aggression and illegal occupation should be allowed to impose conditions like these on its neighbour."
She added: "We note that Benjamin Netanyahu continues to support the building of homes and infrastructure in territories that do not belong to Israel. We must therefore question his sincerity."
"A peaceful future for Israelis and Palestinians must be built on the basis of mutual respect and equality between nations. You can't have a normal, respectful relationship between two states where one of them insists on the right to be able to dominate the other, and to recognise its existence only with unreasonable conditions attached."