Israel
hoping for American veto? Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman
told the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that a unilateral declaration
on an independent Palestinian state would likely not be approved.
"A unilateral move must receive the approval of the UN Security Council, and the chances for that are low. Unilaterally declaring a state is a violation of the agreements signed with Israel, and Israel will also be freed of its obligations."
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The minister reiterated that Israel would not hesitate before taking unilateral moves, if the Palestinians take such steps. "Any unilateral move will be met with a unilateral move on our part. We have a lot to do in response."
He addressed the American reservations over uncoordinated moves, saying that "the Americans also understand that unilateralism buries any chance for peace. They will be very uncomfortable with such a move."
Lieberman and Nimrod Barkan, head of the Policy Research Center at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also presented their assessments in regards to peace negotiations with Syria.
According to them, the Syrians will ask for many gestures before launching talks, and the talks will take a long time.
Lieberman with Committee Chairman Tzachi Hanegbi (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
"We are ready for a dialogue without any preconditions," the foreign minister said, but noted that he believes the Syrians won’t agree to cut off their ties with Iran
and Hezbollah.
"The Syrians are not ready for modernization, because their main interest is maintaining the regime. Talking about negotiations allows them to enter the international community," he said. "The Syrians are sending many signals: A ship, Iran, support for Hamas.
Even if Israel is required to pay a price, the Syrians will not detach themselves from the axis of evil."
The foreign minister also referred to the Goldstone Report,
which accused Israel of committing war crimes in Gaza and was adopted
by the UN General Assembly. "The way of looking at the glass as half full is that more countries supported Israel. We are preparing for systematic activity to deal with the challenge."
Knesset Member Nachman Shai (Kadima),
who took part in the meeting, said Lieberman gave him the feeling that "everything is black, that there is no chance for any progress."
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