Israel reviews negotiating strategy with Palestinians and Syrians

Hebrew media outlets reported that the Israeli Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, personally supervised the preparation of a document titled the “higher goals”, which drops the settlement process with the Palestinians and Syrians from the ministry’s goals.

According to the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz, this official document totally disregards the political process and plays down the importance of establishing relations with Arab countries. The words “Palestinians” or “Syria “do not appear in the document that details the Israeli foreign ministry’s goals for 2010.

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Lieberman had repeatedly criticized the policies of former Foreign Minister Tispi Livni and accused the ministry under Livni of being a “ministry of Palestinian affairs”. Also he previously declared that he would not conduct political talks with George Mitchell on the issue of settlements because he is personally a settler.

According to Haaretz, “Netanyahu’s Bar-Ilan University speech, outlining his vision for the Middle East and his agreement to establishing a Palestinian state, is hardly reflected at all in the document. Nor are Netanyahu’s statements about wanting to renew the talks with Syria and establish diplomatic relations with the Arab states.”

The Haaretz article further read, “Under the title heading the list – strengthening national security” come secondary goals such as managing conflicts, advancing peace agreements and processes, strengthening deterrence, and fighting the delegitimization of Israel.

“In Livni’s era the ministry’s top priorities were advancing the peace process and enlisting moderate Arab states to the process.”

“The second goal remains thwarting the Iranian threat. Under the third, strengthening ties with Arab states has dropped from the top of the list to the bottom. Instead, Israel’s relations with new powers Brazil, Russia, China and Latin American and African states are the top priorities.”

Source: Quds Press