Carter: Netanyahu stirs trouble in US, Israeli ties

[joeblow]

Carter: Netanyahu stirs trouble in US, Israeli ties
Sun, 14 Jun 2009 06:55:35 GMT

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Former US President Jimmy Carter

Former US President Jimmy Carter has declared that hawkish Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on a collision course with US President Barack Obama.

Carter told Haaretz in an exclusive interview on Saturday that Obama will not change its stance on the two-state solution to the Israeli Palestinian conflict.

He went on to add that the US president will continue to call for the Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian lands to be stopped.

The former US president warned that Israel will face a clash with the US if it refuses to comply with the Obama White House demands.

Carter said Obama had "committed to a worldwide audience" to bring about a complete stop to settlements, which the US president called "the key obstacle to any peace agreements."

Carter also noted that he is against the expansion of the Israeli settlements and added that during his term settlements were viewed as "illegal and obstacle to peace".

Carter's comments come as Netanyahu is to deliver a policy speech on Sunday to outline his vision of how to advance the so-called peace process with the Palestinians and the Arab world.

The new Israeli government has so far refused to accept the Palestinian's right to establish an independent state.

The right-wing Israeli government has been expanding the Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian lands, despite the international community's calls to halt the settlement activities.

MGH/DT