Monday 20 September 2010

Lieberman pushes to deport Palestinians

[ 19/09/2010 - 06:10 PM ]

NAZARETH, (PIC)-- Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said the principle Israel must stick to during peace talks with the Palestinian Authority is exchanging land and populations instead of trading land for peace, noting that all Palestinians "living in Israel who show clear opposition to Israel should be exiled to PA-controlled territory".

Strong opposition from the Arab League and PA in Ramallah in accepting Israel as a “state for the Jewish people” has forced Israel to make the Arabs in Israel issue one of the central issues in the peace talks, Lieberman said Sunday on Israel radio.

“Any Israeli citizen can occupy any position, and any Arab citizen in Israel can be a pilot and occupy any positions even in the Mossad,” he added.

He went on to say that figures such as MK Hanin Zoabi who openly oppose Israel should compete for positions in Gaza or the PA.

In a separate context, Lieberman confirmed that Israel will continue building on Palestinian lands after Israel’s partial settlement activity freeze ends later this month.

Israeli radio reported that Lieberman said in a phone conversation with his British counterpart William Haig that the Palestinians wasted nine months out of the ten month freeze before going into negotiations only after they were pressured and not on goodwill.

Lieberman claimed Israel has made enough goodwill gestures, and now it is time for the Palestinians to make gestures of their own.

Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also decided to commit to ending the settlement freeze due to end Sept. 26.

Speaking at a Likud conference Sunday, Netanyahu refused to go into details about discussions held in Sharm el-Sheikh and Jerusalem last week with Palestinian de facto president Mahmoud Abbas and U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton due to the sensitive nature of the discussions.

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