Former United States president Bill Clinton said late Wednesday that America and the west should not tolerate any attempt to end the existence of Israel, and also called for the creation of a Palestinian homeland.
"America should say, and so should the EU, we will never, ever, ever tolerate an attempt to end the existence of Israel," Clinton told a fund-raising dinner in north London in aid of the Jewish National Fund.
"But we will never, ever, quit trying to recognize the legitimate wish of Palestinians for a homeland, for the right to education and health care and to make a decent living," he added.
He was speaking before nearly 1,600 guests at a centenary celebration of the Jewish National Fund.
The event aimed to raise one million pounds (1.45 million dollars, 1.6 million euros) for a reservoir in Israel's Negev Desert, to be named after the former president.
Clinton said he believed that the Palestinians regretted turning down the peace terms he tried to negotiate, which would have offered them a homeland.
Achieving peace in the Middle East was a duty for both rich and poor countries, the ex-president said.
He added that the world was "bedeviled" by terrorism, which he said was caused by people refusing to accept the differences between races.
Clinton also thanked Britain for its support for the US after the terror attacks on New York and Washington of September 11 – London (AFP)
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