Barak: We must divorce ourselves from the Palestinians
Former PM Ehud Barak participated in the Global Baku Forum (GBF) in Azerbaijan this week, alongside other former world leaders. He warned of the dangers in postponing necessary action regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Barak appeared in a panel with several other former leaders, from countries such as Finland, New Zealand, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, Macedonia, and Montenegro. He said of Israel and the Palestinians that the time to wake up is now, for leaders and members of the public on both sides. The Palestinians will not accept Israeli control of their destiny as a permanent solution, but both sides know that Israel is strong, Barak said. He compared conflict resolution to a painful divorce, rather than a love story.
Regarding the topic's dark potential consequences, Barak said jokingly that it's commonly said that a pessimist is just an optimist who's gained experience.
Barak claimed that one entity should be split into two, and pointed out that it won't be limited to that, giving the example of Yugoslavia (which split in six), Iraq (which some believe might split in three), and the currently-fragmenting Syria.
Speaking of ISIS, Barak said that there are types of players with which attempts to compromise are pointless, and ISIS is one. Trying to compromise with them, said Barak, is like feeding a crocodile a piece of meat, and expecting him to be sated: The opposite will happen. Barak emphasized that ISIS has to be defeated by shooting rather than talking.
MK Livni spoke with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev during her stay. The two spoke about changes in the Middle East, different alliances, and the attempts by extremist groups to infiltrate Azerbaijan. Aliyev said in their meeting that the country's relations with Israel were good, and strategically important to the leadership in Baku. Livni reiterated the importance of the relationship to the Israeli side, saying that Azerbaijan is setting an example for other Muslim countries by maintaining its positive relationship to Israel.
