Israel Matzav

The only straight shooter in Israel's cabinet?

Washington apparently wants nothing to do with him, but he's still our foreign minister - he'll be representing us at the UN General Assembly in a couple of weeks - and Avigdor Lieberman may be the only straight shooter in Israel's cabinet.

“It must be understood that signing a comprehensive agreement in which both sides agree to end the conflict and end all of their claims and recognize Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people is a goal that is not achievable in the next year or in the next generation, so any historic compromises or painful concessions won’t help,” he said.

The best that could come out of the talks was a long-term interim agreement with the Palestinians, Lieberman said.

He promised that his party would fight against further construction freezes and unilateral concessions.

“Seventeen years should be enough time to realize what is and is not possible. I know there is pressure to continue the freeze, but I don’t know a single reason to do so.

Listing the summits that launched peace processes in the past, Lieberman mocked “the many grandiose productions of the international peace industry,” which had led to “many cocktails, many talk shows. No results.”

Israel had already suffered enough from the “adventures and experiments of irresponsible politicians,” he said.

Lieberman asked what would happen if Israel reached a deal with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and then Hamas said it was not legitimate because by Palestinian law, Abbas’s term ended in January 2009. Israelis needed to ask themselves what would happen if there was a Palestinian election following the creation of a Palestinian state and Hamas won.

Okay, maybe he's not that straight after all - Lieberman also said some things I find questionable.

"I agree that Abu Mazen is against terror and will not fight Israel, but that is not enough," he said, referring to Abbas by a popular nickname. "Abu Mazen will not sign an agreement with Israel."

"However, there is no reason to be worried," Lieberman added. "I repeat: Abu Mazen will not fight us... The only practical solution is a long term interim agreement, on which we can debate. Our proposal is: No to unilateral concessions, no to continuing the settlement freeze, yes to serious negotiations and mutual gestures of good faith."

I don't know where Abu Mazen stands on terror, but I can tell you this much: He sure isn't going to fight it.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 7:35 AM