Lieberman: The unfaithful cannot be citizens
Avigdor Lieberman appears at Saban Center for Middle East policy in Washington where he says that those who are not faithful to Israel cannot expect to have full rights
WASHINGTON - Lieberman presents solution to Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Minister for Strategic Affairs Avigdor Lieberman addressed an audience at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy in Washington where he presented his political agenda: "Israel has the right to demand full allegiance from all its citizens. He who is not ready to recognize Israel as a Jewish and Zionist state, cannot be a citizen in the country. This applies to extremists of the Neturei Karta as well as to extremist factions of the Islamic Movement."
He slammed Israeli Arab MKs for meeting Syrian and Lebanese officials and expressing their support for Hizbullah.
"It is unacceptable that a senator or a representative in the American house of representatives assist Afghanistan during the war and meet with Bin-Laden and al-Qaeda leaders, express his support for their war against the US and be allowed to return to serve in Congress," he said.
"The peace process is based on three false basic assumptions: That the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the main fact of instability in the Middle East, that the conflict is territorial and not ideological, and that the establishment of a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders will end the conflict."
Lieberman tried to portray himself as someone who cares for the Palestinians: "Any political process has to secure an improvement in the Palestinians' quality of life and education. Attempts to bring about a political arrangement before securing peace to the Israelis and economic improvement for the Palestinians are likely to fail."
Lieberman will meet Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Monday.
