Lieberman: There is no use seeking a permanent agreement with Palestinians

Former Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who was also once Chairman of the Committees on Foreign Affairs and Defence in the Knesset, has renewed his attacks against Palestinians, claiming that President Mahmoud Abbas is not a partner for peace and that it is useless trying to pursue a permanent agreement between Israel and the Palestinians at the moment.

Lieberman told Israeli public radio on Sunday that, “Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas) is not a partner in peace”, so “there is no point in currently seeking a permanent settlement. We must focus on deepening the economic and security cooperation with the Palestinians.”

Moreover, Lieberman suggested that the Palestinian educational curriculum includes incitement against Israel and said that, “we must demand that the Palestinians change their curriculum”, because “their teaching books do not include a map of Israel, nor do they mention the Holocaust.”

Lieberman also added that the Palestinian Authority’s official media is “plagued with anti-Semitic incitement and honours suicidal terrorists.”

He concluded that, “only after the Palestinians begin to raise the younger generations with the values of peace will it be possible to begin real negotiations regarding a permanent settlement.”

Lieberman’s statements are made in the context of Israeli reports that the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, which began about three months ago, have reached an impasse due to Israel’s insistence on the deployment of military forces along the Jordan Valley.