MEMO to The Financial Times

RE Article: No more excuses for Netanyahu

Dear Editor,

It is indeed, as your leader says, a time to know whether Benjamin Netanyahu is "a statesman" (No more excuses for Netanyahu, May 14). However, despite your well argued case for him to step up to the mark, the Israeli prime minister's track record, for example, of insulting US President Obama on the issue of illegal settlements suggests that statesmanship is something in which he is lacking. Not only has new partner Shaul Mofaz called Netanyahu "a liar" but the ex-head of Israel's internal security services has also accused him of "misleading" Israeli citizens on the issue of Iran. That may well make the Israeli PM "a master tactician", but it bodes ill for any statesmanship of the magnitude required to forge a just peace with the Palestinians.

Ibrahim Hewitt
Senior Editor,
Middle East Monitor