Lieberman: Outpost evacuation only as part of overall plan
Foreign minister unmoved by American demand for Israeli gestures towards Palestinians. 'If outposts must be cleared, this should be done as part of a comprehensive initiative and according to an organized plan,' he says. Minister Edelstein slams Barak over Maoz Ester evacuation, says 'defense minister is acting like a partisan'
Speaking before the weekly cabinet meeting, the foreign minister said that "returning to the 1967 borders today means neither peace nor security. It's a formula for shifting the conflict into the Green Line."
Shas Chairman and Interior Minister Eli Yishai also addressed the issue, saying that "we should not dismantle outpost right now. There is wild illegal construction on the part of the Palestinians and Israel's Arabs as well. If we are about to enforce this, we need a unified, justified and equal enforcement."
He added that there was no need to clash with the United States over the outposts, suggesting that "if we explain the real problems we have here, I hope they will eventually understand. We cannot not build in the settlement blocs. There are young couples in Kiryat Sefer, in Beitar and in other settlements who need a roof over their head and a home. Not building a home for them means expelling them."
Minister Yishai was addressing, among other things, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's demand that Israel halt the construction of settlements completely.
On Thursday, the police and representatives of Civil Administration evacuated the tiny outpost of Maoz Ester in the Binyamin region. It was rebuilt shortly afterwards. Defense Minister Ehud Barak said several hours after the evacuation that it had been carried out in accordance with regular instructions and was unrelated to any American pressure.
During the cabinet meeting, Yishai also addressed the prime minister's visit to Washington last week. "(Former Prime Minister) Ariel Sharon told me that he would agree to two states for two people if the Palestinians dismantle the terror organizations. Terror has not been dismantled, and we are discussing two states.
"Outposts must not be dismantled. Freezing construction is expulsion. In every visit to the US in which the Israeli prime minister is embraced and kissed, we conceded assets. I would rather cede the embraces."
Minister Yuli Edelstein of the Likud party slammed Barak over his plan to continue evacuating illegal outposts. "No defense minister will treat the outposts in a different manner than decided by the government. The defense minister is acting in a partisan manner, without the approval of the cabinet or the government."
Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz said that "the government's agenda must not look like a witch hunt against the settlers in Judea and Samaria." He clarified that the outpost issue must be regulated in an overall plan: "We must deal in agreement with all the outposts set up after March 2001, including those which are not located on private Palestinian land."
Labor ministers, on the other hand, said that all measures should be exerted in order to evacuate outposts. Minister Avishay Braverman said that any evacuation must be carried out in agreement. Minister Isaac Herzog said that a failure to clear illegal outposts would damage Israel's stance ahead of a possible permanent agreement.
"It also damages Israel's stances based on what is expected from us according to the Road Map, and therefore we must continue working to evacuate them," added Herzog.
'Lebanon must draw conclusions against Hizbullah'
Addressing the reports that the Hizbullah organization was behind the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, Minister Lieberman said that "an international arrest warrant should be issued against (Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan) Nasrallah, and he should be prosecuted. Otherwise, he should be arrested forcibly."
Defense Minister Barak said Sunday morning that he "hopes Lebanon's citizens will draw the required conclusions" ahead of the upcoming parliament elections.
According to Barak, "the international tribunal's decision to apparently view Hizbullah as responsible for the murder of the former Lebanese prime minister testifies once against to the character and role of Hizbullah, not only in the battle against us but also in the battle against Lebanon's normalcy."
The minister added that the Shiite organization was operating on several fronts, "just like we've seen in Egypt, also against the legitimate rule of other regimes. This is another expression of the fact that Hizbullah is an Iranian wing and a negative factor."
German newspaper Der Spiegel reported Saturday that the Shiite organization was responsible for the 2005 murder, but Hizbullah rushed to deny the accusations, saying that they were an attempt to influence the Lebanon elections.
