Israeli PM turns to Arab TV in call for peace

Benjamin Netanyahu’s interview with Al Arabiya TV, set to be broadcast Thursday night, reflects Israeli jitters ahead of a Palestinian plan to seek UN recognition of independence this fall. Netanyahu’s office said it also reflects the significance he attributes to Arab public opinion and the sincerity of his peace overtures.

The interview marks the first time Netanyahu has sat down with an Arabic media outlet since he took office two years ago, though he has fielded questions from Arabs before on YouTube.

In the interview, Netanyahu says he is willing to negotiate anywhere and with anyone who accepts Israel’s right to exist.

‘Everything is on the table. But we need to get to the table,’ Netanyahu said, according to excerpts released by Al Arabiya ahead of time.

Peace negotiations have been stalled since 2008, and the Palestinians have refused to negotiate while Israel continues to build homes in Jewish settlements.

If negotiations don’t resume by September, the Palestinians plan to ask the United Nations to recognize their independence.

Although the vote will be largely symbolic, the Palestinians hope to isolate Israel and put pressure on it to make concessions. Israel fiercely opposes the UN bid, saying all disputes should be resolved through negotiations.

Netanyahu said he realized he would have to make ‘difficult compromises for peace,’ but he offered few new details about his plans.

The Palestinians seek all of the West Bank and east Jerusalem — areas captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war — as parts of a future independent state. Netanyahu has said he wants to keep parts of the West Bank, and he opposes any division of Jerusalem.

In the interview, Netanyahu also addressed the situation in the Gaza Strip, the other territory claimed by the Palestinians, and the regional unrest in Syria and Egypt.

Ofir Gendelman, Netanyahu’s spokesman for the Arab media, said Saudi-owned Al Arabiya was chosen as a conduit for Netanyahu’s outreach because it is a professional station that reaches 40 million Arabs.

He said Netanyahu’s office also communicates with the Arab world via Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

‘There are a lot of issues the prime minister wants to address,’ Gendelman said. ‘The goal of the interview is twofold: to convey the message that he wants to resume negotiations and express via the interview how important Arab public opinion is to him.’