by Lilach Shoval and Israel Hayom Staff
"We have to find the right formula that allows both people not only to exist but also to thrive," Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman says • Israel has no plans to initiate conflict in south but "any provocation will meet a forceful response," he warns.
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman
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Photo credit: Liron Moldovan  |
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said
Thursday he would like to promote direct dialogue with the Palestinian
people, saying Israelis and Palestinians must find ways to coexist and
collaborate.
In an interview with the new Arabic-language
website launched by the Office of the Coordinator of Government
Activities in the Territories, Lieberman stressed that the settlement
enterprise was not an obstacle to peace.
Israel, he noted, "withdrew from territories,
and evicted 21 communities in the Gaza Strip, but didn't get peace in
return. The problem is not the settlements, but rather a deep
[Palestinian] economic crisis, unemployment, and the lack of [political]
horizon," he said, adding that given the opportunity, Israel would help
the Palestinians overcome these issues.
"Once Hamas relinquished [terror] tunnels and
rockets, we will be the first to help them build a seaport and an
airport, as well as industrial zones Kerem Shalom and Erez," he said,
referring to Israel's two main border crossings with the Gaza Strip.
"We can create 40,000 jobs for the people of
Gaza immediately, if Hamas would relinquish its call for the destruction
of Israel, relinquish the tunnels, the rockets, and of course -- first
and foremost -- return our soldiers bodies and the Israelis it's holding
captives," he said.
Lieberman was referring to IDF Staff Sgt. Oron
Shaul and Lt. Hadar Goldin, who were killed in the Gaza Strip in
separate battles during Operation Protective Edge in the summer of 2014,
as well as Ethiopian Israeli Avera Mengistu and Bedouin Hisham
al-Sayed, both suffering from mental health issues, who crossed into
Gaza willingly in 2014 and 2015 and were captured by Hamas.
Commenting on recent tensions on the southern
border, Lieberman said that while Israel has no plans to initiate an
armed conflict, "any provocation will meet a forceful response. I try to
navigate issues of defense and security in a responsible, prudent way."
The defense minister noted that "the main
issue between Israel and the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah is a
total lack of trust.
Economic stability is an interest for Israel
as well, and we can partner on that. I'd rather focus on issues on which
we agree first and the disagreements second.
"We have to live here, on this small piece of
land, together, so we have to realize that we need to find ways to
cooperate rather than clash. We want direct dialogue with the
Palestinian people -- not through middlemen, not though the
[Palestinian] media, which is usually very anti-Israel.
"I'm willing to talk to everyone directly. We
have to find the right formula that allows both people not only to exist
but also to thrive. When you make a deal, it won't work if it only
benefits one side. Both sides have to feel they got a good deal,"
Lieberman concluded.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, U.S. Vice
President Mike Pence, and dozens of foreign and defense ministers are
scheduled to attend the conference held between Feb. 17 and Feb. 19.
Lieberman is scheduled to meet with his
British, German, Canadian, Singaporean, Russian and Moldavan
counterparts, as well as with the president of Azerbaijan, prime
minister of Bavaria, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, and
Marillyn Hewson, the president of American aerospace giant Lockheed
Martin.
The Defense Ministry said that in his
meetings, Lieberman plans to discuss bolstering security ties with these
countries, as well as dealing with regional and global terrorism.
Lieberman said radical Islamic terrorism is no longer an
issue confined to the Middle East, but rather a global problem that
affects different countries indiscriminately, adding that one of the
most important elements in dealing with this threat is global
cooperation between all governments and relevant security agencies.
Lilach Shoval and Israel Hayom Staff
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=40445
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Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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