JERUSALEM, Nov. 10 (JTA) – Henry Kissinger declared on a visit to Israel this week that an independent Palestinian state is “inevitable.” The former U.S. secretary of state said Israel should begin contacts with the United States to ensure that it receives the most concessions in exchange for agreeing to a Palestinian state. Speaking in Tel Aviv, Kissinger made these remarks in the first Yitzhak Rabin lecture sponsored by the newly established Rabin Center for Israel Studies. Kissinger, who served in the administrations of Presidents Nixon and Ford, and led the shuttle diplomacy that helped create the cease-fire agreements with Egypt and Syria after the 1973 Yom Kippur War, said Israel is paying a heavy price for not having strategic goals to achieve in the peace talks.
While he was careful not to single out the Netanyahu government for criticism, Kissinger said, “If one does not know the destination, each concession becomes much harder.” Kissinger also described the assassinated Rabin as a good friend and praised him for his “exceptional analytical” skills.
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