DM Lieberman says no ties will harm Palestinians
Israel's defense minister says it can live without security cooperation with the Palestinians, but they will suffer if Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas carries through with his promise to do so.
Speaking to the YNet news site Sunday, Avigdor Lieberman says the security ties are mostly beneficial for the Palestinians anyway. He lambasted Abbas for not condemning a Palestinian assailant who stabbed to death three members of an Israeli family over the weekend.
Following conflicts over a Jerusalem holy site, Abbas announced Friday he would "freeze" ties with Israel "on all levels" until the new security measures Israel imposed at the site after a deadly shooting there were removed. Halting security coordination would have far-reaching repercussions and could sharply raise tensions with Israel.
