It’s impossible to reach peace with the Palestinians, claims Israeli minister

Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Wednesday that it is “impossible” and “unrealistic” to reach a final peace agreement with the Palestinians in the next few years. The far-right winger made his comments in a meeting with EU ambassadors in Israel.

Lieberman blames the “extremist stances” of the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for his pessimistic view. As such, he suggested that a final deal with the Palestinians “must” be delayed for a few years. In the meantime, Palestinians and Israelis should be given the chance to live their lives in the occupied West Bank.

According to the Israeli minister, it is clear that the Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank are not an obstacle to peace. Nor, he insisted, is the Palestinian-Israeli conflict the reason for instability in the region. He expressed his surprise that EU leaders are still thinking that settlements are the “biggest problem” in the world.

According to Lieberman, at least 500 people are being killed in the Middle East every day, and this is more important that what is going on in the illegal settlement of Amona. He pointed out that the European media does not look at it this way. Focusing on settlements is “hypocrisy,” he claimed. “The European media should concentrate on Korea and Iran.”