The Israeli people should be asked to approve any future peace deal with the Palestinians, Shimon Peres said.
The Israeli president said Sunday that before Prime Minister Ehud Olmert signs a peace accord with the Palestinian Authority he should seek broad public approval, especially given the vigorous opposition from the right wing.
“I propose either a referendum or elections, but this should be at the end of negotiations,” Peres told Reuters. “The people can decide.”
Olmert has seen his popularity plummet since the 2006 Second Lebanon War. Last week he was abandoned by a right-wing coalition partner protesting his peace talks with P.A. President Mahmoud Abbas. But Peres said the prime minister should not feel threatened by a plebiscite.
“I think if he comes up with a plan it would bolster him rather than make things more difficult for him,” Peres said, referring to a possible peace accord.
