Israel should consider unilateral steps to separate itself from the Palestinians should peace talks fail, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said.
Such steps would include dismantling settlements beyond the separation barrier and maintaining a military presence in the Jordan Valley along the West Bank–Jordan border, Barak said March 3 at the annual AIPAC policy conference in Washington.
Barak, who is leaving government, has been the chief advocate within the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for advancing talks with the Palestinian Authority.
He told AIPAC Netanyahu had been a “courageous” advocate for peace, noting his freeze on settlement building in 2010, and said the failure of the talks was “mostly” the fault of the Palestinians. — jta