Yair Shamir. Photo: Wikipedia.

Israeli MK Yair Shamir of the Likud Beitenu party has responded to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reaffirmation Monday of his belief in the two-state solution.

“Netanyahu’s Bar Ilan speech was never approved by the Likud party or the government of Israel. The idea of a two state solution is impossible to implement,” Shamir said.

Speaking to leaders from the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Netanyahu said,”I believe that a framework to peace (with the Palestinians) is what I outlined in my speech in Bar-Ilan University – two states for two peoples: A demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes the Jewish state.”

Tuesday it was Shamir’s turn to address the Jewish leaders. Shamir stressed that too much time is invested in the Palestinian situation at the expense of very important internal and social issues in Israel.

He also claimed that the Arab Spring was proof that the Arab countries do not care about the Israeli-Palestinian issue as much as is asserted.”We see now that all they care about is changing their current situation which reflects lack of freedom and uncompromised dictatorship,” he said.

Shamir pointed our that when his father, former Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, participated in the Madrid Conference, “It was a breakthrough in the relationship between Israel and the Arab world and was the beginning of talks with the Palestinians.”

Shamir also said that the process in Oslo was too rushed, and is considered to be a shortcut in comparison to Madrid, which is why it failed.

“A successful negotiation with the Palestinian people has to be based on the substance of the Madrid conference.”