July 21 - Benjamin Netanyahu vows to hold referendum on peace deal

Article: Israel And The Last Days
 

Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to stage the first referendum in Israel's 65-year history to give voters the final say on any peace agreement reached with the Palestinians.  The pledge came as Israeli and Palestinian negotiators prepare to hold their first direct talks in three years at a meeting in Washington in the coming week.  John Kerry, the US secretary of state, announced last Friday that he had secured a tentative agreement to renew negotiations - prompting a chorus of criticism from Right-wingers in Mr Netanyahu's coalition who are implacably opposed to a Palestinian state.  Mr Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister told a weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday that a decision on ending the historic conflict with the Palestinians was too important to be decided by the government alone.  "It will be put to a referendum," he said "I believe that this is necessary. I do not think that such decisions can be made, if indeed an agreement is achieved, by this or that coalition process; it must be put to the people for a decision."