Defence Minister Lieberman: Lets wait for Trump Admin. before regulation bill
Speaking at the Saban Forum hosted by the Brookings Institute in Washington DC, FM Lieberman spoke about the need to wait on the outpost regulation bill, lack of peace partner on the Palestinian side.
He argued that voting on the bill should be postponed until after Donald Trump takes his oath of office in January.
“My recommendation is to wait for the new (US) administration, and together create a new policy,” the foreign minister said.
“I believe we should postpone making any decision until after January 22nd,” Lieberman added. “I’ve made it clear that this is my position, both in the cabinet and in public.”
When asked about the peace process with the Palestinians, Lieberman was quoted as saying “there is no peace and there is no process,” drawing laughter from the crowd.
“We have proven that we want a logical solution to the problem, but for a solution, we need a strong, real partner – and I don’t think that the Palestinian side has anyone (strong enough). Mahmoud Abbas doesn’t have the ability to represent the Palestinian people; he has no legitimacy,” he said.
“There were supposed to be elections in 2010,” the defense minister continued, “and he doesn’t control Gaza… What we need now is an intermediary agreement which will last several years in order to build trust between the sides and to wait for a real opportunity.”
Lieberman was asked if he had spoken to any members of the Saudi Royal Family on the issue with the Palestinians, and responded by saying “I don’t remember, but we have a lot of contacts with our neighbors in the region.” His response again drew laughter from the crowd.
Regarding moving the US Embassy to Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Lieberman said “we have seen candidates during every US election cycle say that they will move the embassy to Jerusalem. We’ll wait and see. We have enough challenges facing us, and I think that it is a mistake to turn the embassy issue into a central issue.”
