Israeli President: Two-state Solution Approved in Israel
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Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (R, front) and Israeli President Shimon Peres attend a press conference after their meeting in Presidential House in Cairo, capital of Egypt, on July 7, 2009. [Xinhua]
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"Two states for two people, a state for the Israeli Jewish people beside a state for the Palestinian Arab people," Peres said in a joint press conference with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo. As for the Israeli plans in the future, Peres said Israel will make more efforts for peace process.
"We have no intention to seize more Palestinian land in the future, Israel has no intention to control the Arab people, or to add more settlements," he said, adding "We don't have to waste this chance to achieve peace in Middle East".
The United States has been pushing Israel to freeze building all settlement, while the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel has the right to build within existing settlements to allow for what is so called natural growth.
For his part, Mubarak said, "There is a good chance to achieve peace in the Middle East according to the two-state solution and the Arab Initiative."
As for the Israeli captive soldier Gilad Shalit held in Gaza by Hamas movement, Mubarak said that he is in "good condition" and he hopes the issue will be solved as soon as possible.
It has been exactly three years since the 22-year-old Israeli corporal Shalit was abducted in a triple armed attack led by Hamas on an Israeli army base just outside southeast Gaza Strip, while finalizing a prisoners' swap deal with Israel to free him is still marking time.
The Islamic Hamas movement refused to confirm or deny if the captive Israeli soldier is still alive.
Egypt has been trying to bridge the gaps between the two sides in a bid to finalize a prisoners' exchange deal that makes both sides satisfied. However, Israel and Hamas are still tenacious for their positions and trade accusations that it seems they are not interested in closing this file.
(Xinhua News Agency July 8, 2009)