Netanyahu made the comments on Monday night to members of his Likud party, Israeli media reported, after facing pressure from right-wing members of his cabinet over his recent comments on the Arab initiative.
Members of the religious nationalist Jewish Home party who hold key positions in Netanyahu’s cabinet oppose a Palestinian state.
“If the Arab nations grasp the fact that they need to revise the Arab League proposal according to the changes Israel demands, then we can talk,” Netanyahu said, according to the Haaretz newspaper, which cited two sources at the meeting. “But if they bring the proposal from 2002 and define it as ‘take it or leave it’ -- we’ll choose to leave it.”
Late last month, Netanyahu spoke of the Arab League-endorsed proposal that dates to 2002, saying it “includes positive elements that can help revive constructive negotiations with the Palestinians.”
But some analysts questioned whether his comments were a bid to fend off international critics over his appointment of hardline Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman and his strong opposition to a French peace initiative now taking shape.
The Arab proposal essentially calls for Israel to withdraw from the occupied territories and resolve the issue of refugees with the Palestinians, leading to the creation of a Palestinian state, in exchange for normalised relations with Arab countries.