Israelis, Palestinians Must Find A 'Common Language': Israeli President Reuven Rivlin

A two-state solution might not be a possible option, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said while hosting an iftar dinner for Arab officials in Israel on Sunday. Several experts are in favor of a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians, with an Israeli state based on 1948 borders and a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders.

Rivlin urged leaders of both sides to avoid stoking fears. Instead, he encouraged the kind of leadership that could create a “common language” and build trust between the two sides -- “leadership that does not embolden the animosity and division between people, but rather strives valiantly each and every day toward a vision of hope and cooperation," Rivlin said, as Middle East Monitor reported.

Meanwhile, Rivlin held Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas responsible for recent killings of Israeli citizens. He said that some organizations were “violating the sanctity and holiness of Ramadan by attacking Israelis.”

The iftar dinner was held at Rivlin’s official residence in Jerusalem. The Shariah Court of Appeal Chairman Kadi Daoud Zini and the higher Arab Monitoring Committee Chairman Abbas Ghanaym were present at the dinner.

The Israeli president told journalists before the dinner that Ramadan was based on values such as grace and mercy. However, some want to exploit the sanctity of the holy month in Islam by engaging in terrorist activities, he said.

Rivlin sent condolences to the president of Egypt and its people after a recent terrorist attack in the Sinai Peninsula. He said he was concerned about a rise in extremism in the Middle East and stressed that “all the children of Abraham should condemn terrorist atrocities,” the Jerusalem Post reported.

The Israeli president addressed the Arab population in Israel and asked them not consider themselves a separate entity. He said that everyone should consider themselves Israelis, not Jews or Arabs.

Rivlin admitted that the Arab sector had been pained by “50 years of inequality.” He considered the iftar dinner as a first of several other meetings with the Arab community. He added that he, as a president, wanted to build a true partnership among different groups in the country.