Lieberman: Proximity talks to begin in two weeks
Foreign minister says Palestinians perpetuate terror while declaring their willingness for peace.
By Haaretz Service Tags: Middle East peace Israel news Avigdor LiebermanProximity talks, geared at renewing negotiations toward a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, are expected to launch within two weeks, Army Radio quoted Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman as saying on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters, Lieberman added, however, that he was skeptical of the Palestinians' willingness to engage in peace talks, saying it was "unreasonable" to talk peace while perpetuating terror through naming squares after blood-thirsty terrorists.
Earlier Thursday, Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom also voiced his belief that Israel and the Palestinians were nearing renewed negotiations, saying he felt "it was time to stop letting the United States doing the Palestinians' work for them."
"It's time that [Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas] decides to sit with Israel and conduct real negotiations," Shalom said, adding that "Jerusalem is out of any talks and is Israel's eternal capital."
Referring to the possibly of a flare up between Israel and Lebanon, Lieberman told reporters Thursday that Israel would not attack its neighbor to the north despite recent reports alleging that Hezbollah had received long-range Scud surface-to-surface missiles from Syria.
"Israel has no intention to create a provocation or engage in irrational acts," Lieberman said.
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Anyone surprised?
Waste of time to talk to the PLO. The PLO terrorist organization has not changed one bit since blowing up women and children during the seventies and Fatah/Tanzim/PA/PLO are all one and the same entity.
futuristic vison towards Israel and not just sit and wait, we want to See Saudi and Syrian positive initiative to back their continues claims for peace. We all want peace.
And the whole world knows it. Fyaad's plan is the only game in town and after summer 2011 US is off the hook as Israel benfactor. Let Israel deal with the UN and the entire international community regarding occupiied terrirotores officlaly recognized as Pals. lands.
"Jerusalem is out of any talks and is Israel's eternal capital." Liberman sounds so crooked. In the east we say We accept arbitration but the olive tree must remain with me. Its so disgusting.
Unless I am mistaken, even among those who support Minister Liberman and his party, there are few who believe that he is willing to pay the price for peace. Israel is unique in that in the good cop, bad cop scenario, it provides without fail, two bad cops; one of them in drag.
that show violence to the Palestinians. i think it is better to not name Palestinians as terrorists - it is like the pot calling the kettle black. It is better to clean up your own house, then you can start feeling "righteous" enough to point finger at others.
Lieberman is the invisible foreign minister. All foreign affairs are relegated to defense minister Barak while Lieberman lurks in the background unnoticed uttering the dumbest of remarks, performing his impressive trick of talking while he has his foot in his mouth and his head up his ass.
As a Palestinian I always believed that negotiations and before than non-violent resistance are the only "effective" ways to fight the occupation. However, in the case of this conflict if you protest and just waving your national flag you might be shot by the guards of Israel called IDF in a would-be avoidable situation. If you go to negotiate, then someone like Shalom end the negotiations before they start by claiming Jerusalem his eternal capital. So what would be the other alternative ways to finish an occupation?
Over and over the Palestinians are cajoled into entering talks with no preconditions. Meanwhile Israel always comes to the table with a minor little precondition it likes to call its "eternal capital". No country in the entire world recognizes the annexation of East Jerusalem which is illegal under international law.
"Last week, a letter from President Barack Obama was conveyed to Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president. In it, I understand, Obama spoke of his very strong commitment ? unprecedented commitment ? to a two-state peace and said that if Israel seriously undermines trust between the two parties, the United States will not stand in the way of a United Nations resolution condemning that." - Roger Cohen (New York Times) This was probably the deal that enabled the resumption of peace talks. Netanyahu unofficially promised not to build in East Jerusalem, and the US made the promise serious by promising not to exercise its veto and allow condemnation of Israel by the Security Council if Netanyahu breaks his promise. A fair deal, but I don`t believe that Netanyahu is a sincere peace partner. The talks will not lead to conclusions because the ideologues of Likud and the settlers are not willing to give up on Greater Israel and Netanyahu is not committed enough to break with them.
Get on and negotiate Shalom said, adding that "Jerusalem is out of any talks and is Israel's eternal capital." Loving your negotiative style Mr Shalom.
So incredibly hypocritical. How about: "it's unreasonable to talk peace while perpetuating the occupation"?