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Netanyahu Offers Sedative To Israel's Right Wing

Israelis and Palestinians are debating whether to advance toward an interim agreement or a permanent one, while the Americans might present a third option — that of a declaration of principles.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pauses during his speech at the opening of the winter session of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem October 14, 2013. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX14AZN
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rose to the rostrum on Monday (Oct. 14) to deliver a speech on the occasion of the opening of the Israeli parliament’s winter session. Many eyes and ears were fixed on Netanyahu, who was supposed to outline his policy for the next half-year in his speech. No, this time it is not about the Iranian issue. No surprises from Netanyahu here. He was interviewed on that subject so many times in the last weeks that even he started to get bored.

Yes, Netanyahu devoted most of his address to Iran, and even noted that numerous Arab countries are likely to join Israel in the struggle against Iranian nuclearization. No one was surprised. The prime minister’s listeners wanted to focus on the Palestinian part of the oration. Would Netanyahu relate to the wave of reports and bits of information that trickle to the outside world from the negotiating table? Would he confute the speculations and rumors about what is being done, and not done, in the secret negotiations that Israel is conducting with the Palestinian Authority, under American management, over the last months?

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