Avigdor Lieberman Refuses To Commit To Palestinian State

ROME — Israel's foreign minister, whose anti-Arab statements have frayed diplomatic nerves, committed himself on Monday to Mideast peace, but did not endorse the idea of a Palestinian state as sought by the United States and the European Union.

As he kicked off a European tour in Rome, hardline politician Avigdor Lieberman skirted around the issue of a Palestinian state, putting him on a possible collision course with U.S. and EU efforts for a solution to the region's conflict.

"This government's goal is not produce slogans or make pompous declarations, but to reach concrete results," he said when asked if he would ever endorse a Palestinian state.

Speaking at a joint news conference with Italian counterpart Franco Frattini, Lieberman said he was confident the Cabinet led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would "reach a secure and definitive peace with the Palestinians and the Arab nations around us."

Lieberman stressed the government was still drawing up its new foreign policy, which Netanyahu is expected to unveil before talks with President Barack Obama in mid-May.

Netanyahu, who took office in March, has so far refused to endorse the idea of an independent Palestinian state _ a cornerstone of the West's policy in the region.

Lieberman, who heads the ultranationalist Yisrael Beitenu, or "Israel is our home" party, has raised concerns in the West with his fiery rhetoric. In his first speech as foreign minister, he said concessions to Palestinians only invite war, and criticized U.S. peace efforts last year.

At the news conference, Frattini said: "I reminded minister Lieberman that Europe and the United States agree on the importance of making peace our common goal."

Frattini did not comment directly on Lieberman's positions, but in an interview published Sunday by Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot he said the peace process "must continue on the basis of the principle of two states for two people."

According to a translation of the interview provided by Italy's Foreign Ministry, Frattini also said he would ask Lieberman to "tone down his statements and act to create a climate of collaboration."

Lieberman, who was making his first official trip as foreign minister, was scheduled to meet with Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi on Tuesday before continuing on to France, Germany and the Czech Republic.

He said he had traveled to Europe to exchange opinions on Israel's new policies and push for a planned upgrade in EU relations, which some officials in the bloc have threatened to put on hold.

Upgraded ties would give Israel better access to EU markets, closer cooperation in areas such as energy, environment and battling crime and terrorism, and more educational exchanges.

Last week, the EU's commissioner for external relations, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, criticized Netanyahu's refusal to endorse a Palestinian state and said the upgrade would depend on Israel's commitment to the two-state solution.

Israel warned the EU that such criticism endangered the bloc's role as broker in the peace process, and Lieberman said Monday that the upgrade must "not be connected to the other problems of the Middle East."

Frattini backed him on that point, saying that "it is in our common interest for Europe to have stronger ties with Israel so that Europe will be able to play a greater role" in the Middle East.

Under Berlusconi's conservative governments, Rome has become one of Israel's closest friends in Europe while maintaining good relations with the Arab world. Italy was among EU countries that recently joined the United States and Israel in boycotting a U.N. conference on racism in Geneva marred by anti-Semitic rhetoric.

Lieberman on Monday also welcomed Pope Benedict XVI's forthcoming Mideast visit, saying he hoped it would help boost relations with moderate Arab countries and improve interfaith dialogue.

Benedict travels to the region May 8-15 in a pilgrimage that will take him to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Comments

[zius]

10:22 PM on 05/04/2009

1-Israel has a racist foreign minister now....i hope president obama doesn't shake his hand.....
2-Israel is an occupying force ...end your occupation and give the land back to its owners ...
3-don't attack iran because this time we will not be dragged into a stupid unnecessary war...
4-if they say bad things about you.......you say bad things about them..etc......not bombs against words.
5-give peace a chance you fools...

[FogBelter]

10:21 PM on 05/04/2009

After 61 years, I just want to see an outcome between Israelis and Palestinians that allows the United States to walk away from the mess. This region of the World is an albatross to the United States and the quicker we are free of it the better.

[Steven Anderson]

05:29 PM on 05/04/2009

Peace thru strength...I agree with Israel's position. This is what it has come down to. You want to play ball...follow the roadmap to peace and have a Palestinian State. That roadmap did not include the lobbing of bombs into Israel. If Palestinians want someone to blame for this current state of affairs and the blood on the street they should start pointing their fingers at each other. I have met many Israelis that want peace even though one even had both of his parents killed by a suicide bomber several years ago. At the same time I have met several Palestinians with few wanting anything except revenge for historical "wrongs". Just as it makes no sense for Germans to march back into Poland to claim lands stolen from them at the end of both World Wars does it make any more sense 60 years later to even think that somehow Israelis are going to pack up and leave.

[skialethia]

12:14 AM on 05/05/2009

"That roadmap did not include the lobbing of "b0mbs into Israel." B0mbs??? You mean rockets, don't you? This says everything about your bias...you are forced to exaggerate the facts to prove a invalid point.

I noticed you do this quite a bit. It's the quickest route to losing all credibility.

[WoodyTanaka]

09:21 AM on 05/05/2009

So aren't Palestinians permitted to have peace through strength, too?? Or is that reserved for Israelis only?

[zaz33]

05:28 PM on 05/04/2009

66% of Israeli Jews back attack on Irarian nuclear facilities.

1. It hasn't been reported how the question was asked.

2. There is no evidence that Iran has ever pursued nuclear weapons. As in America, Israelis are unaware of this fact. The IAEA has been ignored or ridiculed in both countries. (for obvious reasons)

3. The majority of American Jews are oppossed to an attack on Iran. (last I heard)

4. I'm waiting for a list of congress people that attended the AIPAC party.

[baffy]

05:21 PM on 05/04/2009

Israel, as always, wants to have it's cake and eat it. Perhaps it is time for them to get a pie in the face.

[zaz33]

05:03 PM on 05/04/2009

FYI

There have been reports that Lieberman will be indited for financial crimes, so he may not be in government too much longer.

Lieberman can bring down the coalition government in a heart beat. This is where his power comes from.

[bibiisbeautiful]

04:58 PM on 05/04/2009

NO BIGGIE! HIS SO-CALLED PEACE PARTNERS DO N-O-T EVEN RECOGNIZE THE EXISTENCE OF ISRAEL!!! IT'S IN BOTH THE PLO AND HAMAS CHARTERS.....AND NEVER VOTED ON!! .................................. NEXT!!!

[WoodyTanaka]

09:20 AM on 05/05/2009

And the Israeli so-called partners for peace in Likud don't recognize Palestine's right to exist, and many in that state don't even recognize the Palestinians as a people.

[omobob]

04:12 PM on 05/04/2009

"Lieberman's views are notoriously racist, and his rhetoric is invariably violent. He called for the execution of Israeli Arab members of the Knesset who met with Hamas or didn't celebrate Israel's Independence Day. His party, Yisrael Beytenu ("Israel is our Home"), accuses Israeli Arabs of "dual loyalty" on account of their ethnicity, and advocates the complete separation of the Jewish and Arab populations in Palestine – in effect, forced transfer. Lieberman and his followers vehemently oppose the peace process, support the militant settlement movement, and are proud partisans of ethnic cleansing."

Justin Raimondo October 27, 2006
He is also calling for a loyalty oath to be taken by Arabs in Israel. Maybe he can tattoo some numbers while he’s at it.

[Palemoon]

04:03 PM on 05/04/2009

People scoffed, even ridiculed me, when I pointed out that they were holding all of those election "do-overs" for a reason. This is the reason. There was no way they were going to let Livni form a coalition party in which she might eventually create peace with the Palestinians and give them their own state. Now we know why Olmert started that bizarre and irrational war this past Christmas after first refusing to step down after his historically crushing defeat. Livni won again, but the coalition of the unwilling for peace, promptly refused to cooperate with her and refused to form a coalition government. That's why Bebe got the call up even tho he too, was soundly defeated by Livni in the election.

[mark67nyc]

02:59 PM on 05/04/2009

Sadly, he is an appropriate spokesperson for Israel.

Poll after poll indicates that most Israelis support the following: Jesusalem as its capital; illegal settlements; expansion of said selltements; military resources spent "protecting" the settlers, to name a few.

Palestine's political destiny remains hogtied by right-wing Israeli zealots who refuse to honor already agreed upon Roadmap guidelines.

Very sad, indeed.

[MideastDove]

05:14 PM on 05/04/2009

...and the 62 year old UN Partion Plan that Israel has never lived up to.

[Hedonist]

07:31 PM on 05/04/2009

of course, none of Israel's neighbor have abided by the partition plan. Forgot that minor detail I suppose.

[GalenL]

05:35 PM on 05/04/2009

A lot of secular Israeli's saw the writing on the wall and came over here.

[DC]

02:49 PM on 05/04/2009

There. We have it. As Foreign Minister, speaking for the Israeli Government, he is being honest about absolute refusal to accept the existence of a Palestinian State. Give him credit.

This honesty is much better than the, game playing, stalling and pretending t and jerking others around that has the modus operandi for the last 50 years.

[helonias]

02:49 PM on 05/04/2009

And so it goes.

[rcozad]

02:45 PM on 05/04/2009

If that is indeed his position than the US ought to refuse to commit to Israel!!

[dagdavid]

02:24 PM on 05/04/2009

Then he will never see peace

[Fireslayer]

02:11 PM on 05/04/2009

One can only hope for peace. Will Netanyahu and Lieberman have a Nixon in China moment?

Or am I dreaming?

[WoodyTanaka]

04:04 PM on 05/04/2009

Worse than dreaming, you're deluding yourself. Netanyahu and Lieberman are going to follow their racist policies regardless what anyone says. Nixon actually WANTED peace with China. Netanyahu and Lieberman want abject Palestinian surrender or they want more Palestinian blood.