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Lieberman: Settlement issue blown out of proportion
Foreign minister slams settlement freeze demand, says Israeli-Palestinian conflict not the gravest global problem
Roni Sofer
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman slammed Thursday the international demand that Israel freeze construction in the settlements, in the face of what he characterized as graver global issues.
"Today I heard Angele Merkel speaking at the Bundestag and repeating the statement regarding the need for a complete halt of life in Judea and Samaria," Lieberman said in an address before Druze Yisrael Beiteinu activists in Shfaram. "Against the backdrop of what happened today in North Korea – which again fired missiles despite
the threats and sanctions of the international community – we see the continued preoccupation with homes in Yitzhar, Takoa, and Beit El. Haven't we blown it out of proportion?"
"Against the backdrop of the events in Tehran, should this issue be the top priority of the international community?" Lieberman said. "We need to explain it first of all to Israel's true friends, both in the United States and in Germany…we need to explain to them that we cannot suffocate these people?"
"We are the government that wishes to progress towards ending the conflict, wishes to propose solutions, and is not scared to assume responsibility," the foreign minister added. "However, assuming responsibility does not mean that we need to make concessions all the time…concessions do not necessarily lead to results."
Lieberman said that it was no coincidence that the conflict had not ended in the wake of the Oslo Accords, even though Israel handed over land to the Palestinian Authority.
"The world is preoccupied with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but there are many other conflicts," he said. "We need to explain ourselves properly to our friends, and first and foremost to the US, which was and will remain Israel's most loyal, important, and closest ally, even when disagreements emerge."
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