Former minister Yoaz Hendel said Saturday evening on Channel 14 that Prime Minister Netanyahu's 2009 Bar-Ilan speech, in which he endorsed a two-state solution, was a 'fumble' made due to pressure rather than conviction. Hendel also characterized his own role in the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations in Jordan as a 'fumble.'
Former minister Yoaz Hendel (Beit Tzioni – HaMiluimnikim) offered sharp criticism of Prime Minister Netanyahu's diplomatic legacy in a Saturday evening interview on Channel 14. Hendel said the 2009 Bar-Ilan speech, a landmark address in which Netanyahu endorsed a two-state solution for the first time, was a 'fumble' (מריחה) delivered under pressure rather than from genuine belief. 'I don't think he believes in it,' Hendel added.
Hendel also assessed his own participation in the Israeli-Palestinian negotiation team in Jordan as a 'fumble,' without elaborating on specific incidents. The comments come hours after Hendel responded to Netanyahu's offer to appoint him head of the National Hasbara (public diplomacy) headquarters, saying he had returned to 'influence and express my positions.'
Hendel, a former communications minister, has been a frequent critic of the current government's handling of security and diplomatic issues. His remarks on the Bar-Ilan address touch on a long-running debate in Israeli politics over whether Netanyahu's 2009 endorsement of Palestinian statehood was a tactical move or a genuine policy shift.
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