Peres: Netanyahu's peace moves restricted by the right wing
President says PM must bring Kadima into gov't to advance peace; PM aide: Bibi won't replace Lieberman.
By Jonathan Lis, Yossi Verter and Mazal Mualem Tags: Benjamin Netanyahu Yisrael Beitenu Israel news Avigdor LiebermanIn private conversations Peres has had over the past few weeks with senior political figures and party leaders, he has been making statements to the effect that Prime Minister Netanyahu cannot advance the peace process with the present coalition government controlled by the right wing. To move forward, the president has been saying, Netanyahu will have to bring Kadima into his coalition and broaden the base of his government with moderates.
Peres has noted in these conversations that he is still convinced that Netanyahu is interested in taking historic steps vis-a-vis the Palestinians. The president says he has faith in the intentions and capabilities of the prime minister, with whom Peres has excellent relations. The president has also said, however, that Netanyahu is restricted by the right wing, that he wants to move forward but his right flank is not permitting it, and that the prime minister is concerned about his government's longevity. In order to make history, Peres says, the prime minister has to bring in Kadima.
Peres has expressed concern over the prospect of a sharp decline in Israel's international standing if the current diplomatic stalemate continues. He says bringing Kadima into the coalition will enable the prime minister to achieve a breakthrough in the peace process, which will improve Israel's standing in the world.
The president has said Netanyahu must make a serious offer to Kadima "with respectable terms." He is not supportive of Netanyahu's attempts at splitting Kadima and bringing seven or more of its members into his coalition.
Peres has also made comments along these lines directly to Netanyahu and to Kadima leader Tzipi Livni in face-to-face meetings in his office at the President's Residence. Up to now, Peres' efforts have not shown results. Relations between Netanyahu and Livni are extremely strained and lack trust or mutual respect, as was seen again this week at a meeting of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Tuesday, where the two openly sparred and then on Tuesday in the Knesset plenum, when Livni launched a scathing attack on Netanyahu, among other grounds, for his ceaseless attempts to split Kadima.
'PM won't replace Lieberman even if he's forced to resign'
"Even if [Avigdor] Lieberman is forced to resign, Bibi won't name a replacement as foreign minister," one of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's associates said Wednesday, referring to the premier by his nickname.
This comment follows the latest allegations of criminal conduct tied to Foreign Minister Lieberman.
Still, anyone looking for cracks in the coalition will be hard-pressed to find them. Sources close to Netanyahu say that even if Lieberman is indicted, the matter will last for months, during which Lieberman is expected to invoke his right to a hearing.
The foreign minister is not expected to put the coalition in any danger for the duration of that period either. Lieberman committed in the past to resign from the ministry if he is indicted, and he is expected to make good on the commitment, but not to pull other ministers from his Yisrael Beiteinu party from the government.
Netanyahu is aware of this situation, and in return intends to keep the foreign minister's portfolio for himself.
"Lieberman has no reason to pull his ministers out of the government," a senior Likud minister said Wednesday, "and in addition, he would prefer to leave a measure of control over the Public Security Ministry and the Constitution [Law and Justice] Committee." In conversations with Yisrael Beiteinu officials it was apparent that Lieberman remained the party's boss, without whom it is doubtful the party would maintain its power.
It is thought that if Lieberman resigned, he would appoint MK Fania Kirshenbaum to fill in for him as party leader.
Sources close to Netanyahu say he has not shifted his strategy since the last election. He remains committed to cooperation with the ultra-Orthodox parties and with Lieberman.
A senior Likud official said: "Netanyahu knows that if he breaks up [that] bloc, he's finished."
Still trying to break up Kadima
At this point, the prime minister is continuing his efforts to break up the Kadima party. His associates say he has managed to convince six Kadima MKs to leave and the moment that he has a seventh, which is only a matter of time, the split will occur.
Such a break-up would constitute a kind of insurance policy for Netanyahu if things get complicated with Yisrael Beiteinu.
Kadima leader Tzipi Livni attacked Lieberman and Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch as well as Netanyahu himself Wednesday, claiming they were not backing the police in the Lieberman investigation.
Aharonovitch's office responded by saying that the minister had in fact issued an official statement in support of the police.
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Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman |
| Photo by: (Archive) |
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this guys is a embarrassment to israel
Normally, Israeli presidents do not have a role in matters of Government and Diplomacy, save for granting pardons to prisoners occasionaly and receiving vistors in his succa. This one became a mouth piece for government apologetics. I wonder no legislator from the left or right protests. He is not a right winger & certainly nothing to do with the left.
to file a charge against Leiberman this week.
Anyone who thinks Tzipi is left-wing is hallucinating. It would hardly matter if only she was interested in pursuing peace. But she happens also to be interested in possessing East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Golan. Kadima is just another have-cake-&-eat-it party and Bibi would remain as restricted but with a slightly more attractive public face. Peres might just as well not bother. It's only words anyway.
Is it part of our President's role to repeatedly 're-discover the wheel'? Do we really need a President to reveal to us that Bibi's Right-Wing coalition restricts his moves? Do we really need an aging President who does not apparently appreciate yet that he has left politics? Or is that what our Presidency has descended to?
Israel has been dealing with its consequences for the past 17 years. The price tag of Peres*s peace: thousands have been killed or maimed: "the price of peace" acc. to Peres. In my opinion peace is made for the purpose of putting a permanent stop to violence and the will for this has to be reciprocal. If there is any price tag for peace then such peace is unethical and it is immoral to strive for such artificial peace. Peace is a matter of heart, of free will. The impression I*ve got is that Israel*s neighbors want land NOT peace with Israel. To repeat the same mistake twice would show extreme stupidity. I cannot understand that Peres suggests this. It is self-destructive. Therefore it makes no sense. Israel*s peace aspirations with her neighbors may not satisfy their greed to make Israel disappear altogether bit by bit: literally! That is what they want and that is what Israel must keep on mind when she ponders about possibilty of peace.
... see very little in common between this government as is and the Maccabbes, alas... ... ancient history seems like your escape-hatch, whenever the here-and-now becomes too irkson...
"Peres has expressed concern over the prospect of a sharp decline in Israel's international standing if the current diplomatic stalemate continues." And Kadima is just the bandaid that Netanahu needs, hey, Old Man? Bringing Kadima into the govt won't prod Bibi any further along the road to peace, but it will serve to mute the int'l criticism. As the old saying goes, "a change is as good as a holiday". Funny, but I don't remember that Kadima actually achieved all that much in the "peace stakes" the last time it was in govt. Two wars, wasn't it?
Israelis are tired of it and learned their lesson. The left is finished. It's really quite simple. And to quote our ancestors from THOUSANDS of years ago: 1 Maccabees Chapter 15 [33] We have neither taken foreign land nor seized foreign property, but only the inheritance of our fathers, which at one time had been unjustly taken by our enemies. [34] Now that we have the opportunity, we are firmly holding the inheritance of our fathers. We know what our ancestors knew. Pity that you don't.
... greed for neighboring territory that does not belong to us... greed for money allocations for a huge non-working sector of the population... greed for cushy Knesset and governmental non-productive jobs, eg our unusual crowd of vice, deputy and sub-ministers...
that are levied against Israel be driven by "common sense", once the world grows tired of Netanyahu's so-called "common sense". P.S.-But I wouldn't really call his sense "common", considering it's in direct contradiction to that of the rest of the world. "Misguided" would be more appropriate, or perhaps "misplaced".
over talks, talking for the mere illusion of talks. Those talks have to have a meaning too.
"So are we condemned to Lieberman indefinitely?" - Esther The 'justice system' in Israel, is actually an 'injustice system' where by corrupt politicians are teased with leaks but never brought to justice until they are out of power. What passes for 'justice' in israel is a totally corrupt system where by only those unable to retaliate against the police are ever actually accused. And once those accused are out of power they are considered not worth convicting. Criminal behavior by politicians - and police - is institutionalized by the government of Israel more than in most nations. Yes, Lieberman will go indicted, though not unaccused, until he has left power due to his manifest incompetence. Bibi will never depose himself by doing what is best for Israel. Thus the police will do nothing until Netanyahu falls, and Netanyahu will do nothing. Yes Esther, Israel is stuck with Liberman because criminal behavior is considered normal, acceptable, and reasonable by Israelis.
Look at the political map: labor got trounced, and if elections were held today. Labor and Kadima would get destroyed. We tried it Peres' way, the Oslo way, and the results have been deadly. Now we have to undo Peres' deadly way in order to prevent the further loss of life.
A doctor using the highly intellectual expression "alte kaker" is probably a fake but he deserves an answer anyhow. Oslo did not cost 1100 lives, because Oslo was never implemented neither by the arabs nor Israel. Both the establishment of settlements and it's reaction to it with the intifada were in transgression with the Oslo accords. They were not respected and obviously had no historical consequences. The so called "Oslo tragedy" is a myth.
That Netanyahu lost his job as Prime Minister once before because he made peace noises - even if he didn't mean them - is a brutal lesson which Netanyahu knows. Any effort to peace will get you thrown out of office by Israelis. Or it might even get you killed by a Likudnik. Either way Bibi will never risk losing office, or his life, by doing the one totally fatal thing any Israeli politician can do, think, offer, or act towards peace. Peace is the fatal third rail of Israeli politics. It is the one thing Israelis will never contemplate, tolerate or even entertain.
... but also by his home atmosphere... so where then can he express his presumably 'dove-like' personal tendencies?...
Something Peres never had, which is why this alte kakker is unelectable and exiled to a ceremonial position, where can make noise but not do any further harm to the Israeli people with his sucker moves like "Oslo", which got 1100 Israelis killed. Bibi properly shut off the duplicitous Peres' attempt to secretly "negotiate" with Abbas in Italy - something the voters in Israel overwhelmingly do NOT want Peres doing any more.
Germany chose the heady lies of the rabid right in the 1930s. America chose them ten years ago. Israel is passionately in love with the ravings of the rabid right today. The rabid right has brought destruction upon EVERY nation which has entertained it's lies in the last century. The legion of those nations which have followed the rabid right to destruction is legion. Italy, Germany, Japan, the USA. . . Israel. The promise is always the same. The vision of ruthless power, military triumph, the refusal to admit to reality, the racists arrogance. It feels good, and when it is over, the aftermath can always be blamed on someone else. Reagan's 'Freedom Fighters' are not our enemies in Afghanistan today. Rather it was Clinton or Carter's fault. The right knows how to lie - to everyone, even itself.
expect bibi to be pressured to hurry up and attack iran before leiberman resigns for a distraction. u know bibi is thinking..." well if im in a war with iran they really wont be focusing on removing him if he is flying to all the other countries for diplomacy talks, and expect a war to hold off as long as lieberman is still in office until the last minute." just my thoughts really.. :)-