Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said Tuesday Israel had the choice of dividing the land with the Palestinians and imposing a partition of the country, or share the government with them in a confederation.
Addressing an international forum of young leaders from Europe in Jerusalem, Peres said he could support either idea, provided it was reached in an agreement achieved through negotiations.
Facing up squarely to one of the most controversial subjects in Israel today — the future of the administered territories — Peres said: “We have to make a clear choice, either to incorporate in Israel the occupied territories and endanger our clear-cut majority, or satisfy our-selves with less territory but keeping a country with a Jewish majority.”
He said the pragmatic choices came down to two — partition, or confederation. “When you have two peoples living on the very same land you have a choice — either to divide the land and have a partition, or to share the government and have a confederation. I would go for either one, provided it was based on agreement,” he said.
He said that in the final analysis, the question of the return of the administered territories was a moral one.
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