Israel Matzav

Livni on Palileaks

Opposition leader and former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni reacted to the Palileaks disclosures on Monday.

"Today it is also clear that the process did not fail and was not exhausted," Livni said in a speech in a ceremony honoring 62 years since the Knesset's founding. "It did not end, but was not allowed to ripen until an agreement was reached because of elections in Israel and this government's choice not to continue the negotiations."

"I was discreet throughout the negotiations over the course of many months, in order to increase the chances of an agreement, even at a personal political cost," she said. "A peace agreement that will end the conflict and protect the national and security interests of Israel is possible."

"Today it is clear to everyone that during the previous government, we built a responsible and serious process that would allow an end to the conflict, while protecting all of Israel's interests," Livni added.

That's questionable - to say the least. They offered to give the 'Palestinians' huge amounts of land, they opened the Pandora's box of the 'refugees,' and they got nothing in return.

But Livni has bigger problems. She is widely seen here as one of the big losers as a result of Palileaks, because if the documents are true, they confirm many Israelis' belief that Livni is too soft to be Prime Minister.

Then-foreign minister Tzipi Livni mentioned that Israel was "giving up the Golan" in peace talks with Syria, during negotiations with Palestinian Negotiator Ahmed Qurei, as revealed in the Palestine Papers leaked on Sunday.

In a document from May 21, 2008, Qurei congratulates Livni on talks with Syria, which she rebuffs, saying "it's not official. Talks are going on through Turkey."

In the same meeting, when negotiating the borders of a Palestinian State, Livni says "we're giving up the Golan, so we need more in Beitar Illit."

Qurei responds: "Yes, you make us pay the price." Later on, he says: "When I see your map, I advise you to go to Syria first. It will help us. We cannot accept Maale Adumim, Givat Zeev and Ariel. If this is your proposal, let us wait. I am serious."

"I could have said the same thing when you showed us your map," Livni retorted.

Qurei says he hopes that peace talks with Syria will help the Palestinians. "Iran is against us, Qatar is against us," he lamented.

Here's more from Noah Pollak.

The Palestine Papers, however, come off badly for the leader of Israel’s opposition, Tzipi Livni, who was then-PM Ehud Olmert’s foreign minister at the time and one of the dramatis personae of the negotiations. Livni’s political liability is that too many Israelis think she isn’t tough enough to be prime minister. She has a tendency to denigrate her own side as a way of ingratiating herself to hostile audiences. To this day, she forcefully criticizes her own country and government while abroad and in front of audiences who have little affection for Israel (see her recent appearance with ABC’s Christiane Amanpour). She seems to think this wins her points for impartiality.

The Palestine Papers show her doing much the same in private, offering to collude with the Palestinians to invent pretexts for letting terrorists out of jail and dismissing Israel’s claim to the Golan Heights (“We’re giving up the Golan”). These indulgences may stick in voters’ minds in Israel and make it that much harder for her to dispel the fear that if awarded the premiership, she’ll give the store away.

The Friday polls should be interesting....

Labels: Abu Ala, Palileaks, Tzipi Livni

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:17 AM