Israeli minister: Conflict with the Palestinians beyond 1967 borders

Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon said on Monday that the conflict with the Palestinians would not end by signing a peace agreement or resolving the issue of borders, Israeli media reported.

Speaking at a conference, Ya’alon warned that: “Anyone who thinks that the conflict with the Palestinians ends by resolving the issues connected to the 1967 borders is mistaken.”

He pointed out that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, “who is considered a moderate, has never pronounced a word that indicates reaching an agreed upon regional deal would end the conflict and put an end to the Palestinian demands.”

Ya’alon claimed that the Palestinian Authority’s “intention is to get everything it wants and to continue the conflict”. Therefore, he argued that “if the choice is between the EU boycott and rockets from Jenin, Nablus and Ramallah at Israeli targets, I would prefer the boycott.”

Speaking at the same conference, Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, who is overseeing the negotiations file, told the attendees that: “Settlements harm Israel’s security. The world understands our security demands and it will accept our need to defend ourselves, but settlements are still viewed by the world as a kind of occupation.”

Livni noted that the growing international boycott also has security implications for Israel, whereas: “The one who tries to [positively] connect settlements with security is mistaken, and causes others to make mistakes. This undermines our ability to achieve security.”

Source: AlQuds