Avigdor Lieberman
Photo: AFP
Mahmoud Abbas
Photo: AP
Lieberman: Abbas not really legitimate
One day after Prime Minister Netanyahu invites Palestinian president to meet with him, his foreign minister questions Abbas' legitimacy: 'Today you have Fatahland in Judea and Samaria and Hamastan in Gaza. Who exactly is Abu Mazen representing? Half a nation at best'
Only one day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
issued a public invitation
to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
to meet with him, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman
openly expressed his contempt for the potential negotiations partner.
Lieberman stressed that as Abbas' authority and legitimacy decline, "the level of expectations increases and the man toughens his stance… What is Abbas' source of legitimacy these days?
"Abu Mazen (Abbas) is not really legitimate, and this is why he has offered a new demand, or advice, to replace Lieberman with (Opposition Chairwoman) Tzipi Livni," the foreign minister told Israel Radio on Monday morning. "I definitely view this piece of advice as a great blessing. His demand to halt construction in the settlements is only an expression of his distress and inability."
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"We signed an agreement with the Palestinian Authority. We signed it with the authority which represents all the Palestinians. Today you have Fatahland in Judea and Samaria and Hamastan in Gaza. Who exactly is Abbas representing? Half a nation at best."
Addressing the idea raised by European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana, to set a date for recognizing a Palestinian state, Lieberman said, "I don't think this is the EU's stand. Solana is about to retire, and like every person facing retirement he wants to leave something behind, make declarations.
"It's clear to everyone that the existing precedents in the region (Jordan and Egypt) were based only on negotiations. Peace cannot be forced. (US President Barack) Obama has also said that there is no alternative for direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians. With all due respect to Solana, one must not make too much of this declaration."
'What is a professional diplomat?'
The foreign minister went on to defend the appointment of Yisrael Beiteinu member Shaul Kamisa as the Israeli ambassador to Cairo, despite objections within the Foreign Ministry. According to Lieberman, the matter has yet to be handed over to he appointments committee, and Kamisa has yet to submit his candidacy."There are thoughts, and already there is criticism about the thought. I would suggest opening this thesis rather than settling for criticism over the thoughts. Why don’t we set up a thought police?"
As for claims that the appointment was unprofessional, the minister said, "What is a professional diplomat? In the previous government I saw the previous minister trying to appoint a journalist, Ehud Yaari, for the post, and he declined.
"There is a long list of people here, including in the world's capitals like Warsaw and other places, where there are no professional diplomats. On the contrary, they appoint people who could strengthen the existing diplomats."
Lieberman went on to praise Kamisa, saying, "I think a person, who was an intelligence officer, one of the best in the IDF, a man who was the deputy commander of the liaison unit for Lebanon, a man who has already been on a diplomatic mission and was the IDF's representative in Romania and Ukraine, is definitely a legitimate person with proven experience. No one can disqualify him based on his membership in Yisrael Beiteinu."
The minister also noted that Israel's relations with Egypt have not suffered since he took office.
