Israel Matzav

Lieberman, Barak and Livni laud Obama as an ally, 'Palestinians' furious

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Opposition Leader Tzipi Livni all lauded President Obama's UN speech on Wednesday as a speech by an ally.

"Once again it's been proven to all the doubters, President Obama is an ally and friend of Israel. The Obama administration gives backing to Israel's security in a wide, all-encompassing and unprecedented manner," Barak said in a statement.

Barak expressed hope that Obama's speech and developments at the UN would lead to to the resumption of peace talks with the Palestinians.

The defense minister's sentiment was echoed by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman who also called Obama's address "the speech of an ally."

Lieberman told Israeli reporters in New York that the "path to peace is long and complicated" and not something that can be solved in the UN General Assembly or Security Council.

Opposition leader Tzipi Livni also responded to the speech, saying Obama "displayed the main points of the conflict in a balanced manner."

Livni said in a statement released shortly after the speech, "He was correct in his statement that peace can be achieved only through direct negotiations and not through UN decisions."

But of course, Livni used it as another occasion to slam Netanyahu.

The Kadima leader called on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to work to break the impasse in the peace process with the Palestinians.

"The responsibility for a peaceful future with security for Israel's children lies on the shoulders of the Israeli leadership and therefore Netanyahu must immediately initiate a resumption of the diplomatic process, not as a favor to the Palestinians but as a favor to us," she said.

No, it doesn't just lie with Netanyahu. And Netanyahu has tried to resume the 'diplomatic process' but the 'Palestinians' refuse unless he first gives away the game. Someone needs to ask Livni point blank what she would do differently. Here's betting that the answer is "nothing at all."

YNet adds:

Opposition Chairwoman Tzipi Livni responded to Obama's speech, telling Ynet that "He supported Israel, but Netanyahu must take action. Otherwise next month we will be worse off than we are this month. A US veto would be almost embarrassing."

Embarrassing? To whom?

Meanwhile, the 'Palestinians' were angry at Obama's speech.

Some of the PA officials described Obama’s speech as a “stab in the back” to the Palestinians.

“We are ready to return to the negotiations as soon as Israel agrees to stop construction in the settlements and accepts the 1967 borders as the reference for the peace talks,” Nabil Abu Rudaineh, a spokesman for PA President Mahmoud Abbas said in response to Obama’s speech.

But while Abbas’s spokesman was careful not to criticize Obama in public, other members of the PA delegation accompanying the PA president to New York strongly condemned the US Administration’s stance toward the statehood bid.

One official told The Jerusalem Post that Obama “has in fact endorsed [Prime Minister Binyamin] Netanyahu’s policy.”

The Palestinians don’t consider Obama a friend and today he once again proved that he is afraid of Netanyahu and the Jewish lobby, the official said.

Another official said that Abbas was “very disappointed” by Obama’s speech. “President Abbas said he can’t understand why Obama has changed his position regarding a Palestinian state,” he told the Post. “After all, it was President Obama himself who said in last year’s address to the UN that an independent and sovereign Palestinian state would be established by the next UN meeting this year.”

Yes, but that was before NY-9 proved that Obama's love for the 'Palestinians' is jeopardizing his reelection chances. But take heart, 'Palestinians,' for you, if Obama is reelected, all will be well. All will be well. So be smart and just play along.

What could go wrong?

Labels: Avigdor Lieberman, Barack Hussein Obama, Binyamin Netanyahu, Ehud Barak, Tzipi Livni

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 9:54 PM