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Lieberman: Israel ready for peace, but concerns over Iran

February 9, 2014 at 4:22 pm

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has said that Israel is ready to reach a deal with the Palestinians and the “key to this lies in security arrangements because past experiences taught us that Iran will occupy the places we leave.”


Observers have hypothesised that Lieberman was referring to South Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. The security arrangements are expected to mean the arrangements in the Jordan Valley proposed by the US secretary of State John Kerry.

Lieberman appreciated the US role in trying to achieve peace. Speaking to Israeli radio, he said, “It is possible to bridge the gap between the two states [US and Israel].” He hinted to the latest tension between the two countries after negative remarks by an Israeli minister about Kerry.

Anadolu news agency reported that Lieberman, who is in Geneva at the moment, as saying, “There are special ties between the US and Israel. The US has been Israel’s strongest ally for years and that has been proven several times. So it is wrong for anyone on either side to start an uproar.”

On the eve of his visit to Geneva, Lieberman met the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay. Speaking to Pillay, Lieberman said, “Israel is to renew its deals with the UN Human Rights Commission by opening a new page that would be more objective and just towards Israel.”

He told her the “UNHRC continuous condemnation of Israel, in the light of genocide in Syria, daily explosions in Iraq, executions in Iran and instability in Libya seriously harms the credibility of international organisations.”

Source: Al-Quds Al-Arabi