'Israel must take charge of its destiny'

President Shimon Peres meets with forces behind new Israeli peace initiative, who warn that unless government reignites peace process, Israel may find itself in a position of weakness

Ynet |Published: 05.11.11 , 17:51

President Shimon Peres met Wednesday with the leaders of the Blue White Future movement, in Jerusalem.

Blue White Future, a group which strives to see the two-state solution come to fruition, is the force behind the "new Israeli peace initiative."

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During the meeting, Peres said that "the future and prosperity of Israel depends on the ability to strike peace with the Palestinians and the rest of our neighbors. The two-state solution is not only the right course of action, it is also one that is in the heart of the Israeli consensus.

"As the president, I meet with all Israeli and international groups and I respect citizens' desire to take initiative and influence results," Peres added.

Several senior members of Blue White Future attended the meeting, including former Shin Bet chiefs Yaakov Peri and Ami Ayalon, former IDF Chief Amnon Lipkin-Shahak, Gilad Sher and delegates from the Council for Peace and Security and the Israeli Peace Initiative.

Blue White Future has already distributed its proposed peace plan to all 120 members of the Knesset, urging them to reignite the stalled peace process right away.

Gilad Sher said that Blue White Future would like to see Peres and other public officials "help the public understand the urgency of setting secure borders through a peace deal. "Israel must take charge of its destiny and not find itself coerced into an agreement."

Lipkin-Shahak added: "Unless Israel initiates a peace deal, its future as a Jewish and democratic state is in peril."