Lieberman: Israel looking for an alternative to Abbas

Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Avigdor Lieberman slammed the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas saying “he is no longer a partner for peace” and that Israel is currently looking for alternatives from within Abbas’s circle.

In an interview with the Israeli Channel 2 on Saturday, Lieberman said his ministry proposed an alternative plan to the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and US Secretary of State John Kerry. However, he refused to disclose the details of the proposal.

Furthermore, Lieberman hinted at the existence of a secret channel of communication with officials close to Abbas but opposed to him. The alternative to Abbas, he said, would be Palestinian businessmen who reject both Hamas and Abbas’s corruption.

He added that the price of Abbas’s meddling in Israeli affairs and meetings with Israeli opposition would be Israeli meddling in Palestinian affairs through a secret channel that would “circumvent Abbas.”

Asked about those promised by Israel to succeed Abbas and whether ex-Fatah leader Mohamed Dahlan was among them, Lieberman refused to answer under the pretext that he was not aware of all the people involved in this scheme.

Moreover, Lieberman accused Abbas of supporting “terrorism” and encouraging it through paying high wages to “killers of Israelis” at the expense of his security agencies. He pointed out that those who killed Israelis and were imprisoned for decades are currently paid 10,000 shekels while Palestinian security personnel are paid an average of 2700 shekels.

He added that although Israel evacuated Gaza and returned to the 1967 borders, it was attacked with 17,000 rockets. He said that the former Israeli PM Ariel Sharon and the US should not have allowed Hamas to run in the 2006 elections.