Lieberman says gaps between Israel and US could be bridged

Israel’s extreme right-wing foreign minister has said that the policy gaps between the government and the US “could be bridged”. Avigdor Lieberman was responding to questions about the plan being prepared by US Secretary of State John Kerry. The Soviet-born foreign minister claimed that Israel “is ready to go far, but the key is the security arrangements.”

According to Maariv newspaper, despite the tension between Israel and the United States, which originated after comments by Security Minister Moshe Ya’alon about the negotiations, there is now a completely different direction. It added that what Benjamin Netanyahu is saying in the Likud bloc sessions is less important than the fact that the Palestinians know that “something is being cooked-up”.

Although none of the parties have agreed on the Kerry plan, it is claimed that Netanyahu is close to accepting it whereas the Palestinians are likely to reject it. Perversely, despite being the people under occupation and Israel being the occupier and illegal coloniser, it is the Palestinians of whom will be demanded massive concessions, as usual.

On Tuesday, Maariv quoted an Israeli political source as saying that the estimates of the Palestinians on the status of negotiations are accurate: President Mahmoud Abbas refuses to recognise Israel as a Jewish state and insists that East Jerusalem must be recognised as the capital of Palestine, as well as refusing to abandon the right of return of Palestinian refugees. However, he has a fear of being held responsible for the failure of negotiations. As such, instead of mobilising Arab support for the scheme which is being worked on, he is mobilising Arab cover for his positions towards Kerry’s plan.

Source: Arabs48