Israeli justice minister under fire after meeting PA leader in London

Senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have slammed Israeli Justice Minister and chief negotiator Tzipi Livni after she met with Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas in London on Friday.

Officials in Netanyahu’s office said that Livni did not represent the Israeli government during her meeting with President Abbas.

Israeli newspaper the Jerusalem Post cited a senior official at the Prime Minister’s Office who said that: “Netanyahu clarified to Livni before the meeting that she would be ‘representing only herself and not the Israeli government’.”

Meanwhile, Israeli Economy Minister Naftali Bennett called on Livni to leave the government coalition. “Tzipi Livni has lost touch with the Israeli voter a long time ago. But with her last meeting she showed that she is like a satellite lost in orbit, with no connection to the planet Earth,” he said.

Deputy Defence Minister Danny Danon also declared that, “We must act to replace her and appoint another minister to be responsible for the negotiations,” according to Israeli media.