Czech Foreign Minister praises Israeli PM for unprecedented backing of free Palestinian state

Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Kohout on Monday praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his unprecedented backing for the creation of a Palestinian state. Speaking at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxemberg, Mr Kohout called the statement a “step in the right direction” but added that the details of his proposal would have to be further analysed. In a key policy speech Sunday evening, Mr Netanyahu said for the first time that he would support the creation of a Palestinian state provided such a state would recognise Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people. The Israeli Prime Minister also said that any independent Palestinian state would have to be demilitarised, a condition that many have said would entail not a Palestinian state but an Israeli protectorate.