Lieberman: Obama Trying to Force Agreement on Israel

04/10/2010 “Israel must not be tempted to adopt US President Barack Obama's suggestion to declare a two-month settlement construction moratorium, as it may lead to a forced (peace) agreement with the Palestinians and a return to the 1967 borders,” Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Sunday, Ynet reported.

During closed-door discussions with fellow members of his Yisrael Beiteinu party, Lieberman said, "The pressure won’t work. We are not leaving the coalition in order to bolster the majority in government, which is against continuing the settlement construction moratorium."

"During my recent visit to the US I learned that Washington is planning to force a permanent agreement on Israel – two states for two peoples along the 1967 borders, plus-minus 3 or 4% of the territory exchanged," Lieberman said. "This is the objective of a continued freeze – to give the US and the international community two months to come up with a solution that will be forced on Israel."

According to the FM, in two months' time "The US, along with the Quartet, the Arab League and the Palestinians will tell Israel, 'This is the solution, take it or leave it. If you don't, there is a price – a confrontation with the international community'. Therefore, we must not quit the coalition. It's the only way to solidify a majority against the freeze, which is a decoy."

The FM said Defense Minister Ehud Barak's support for another moratorium stems from his fear that "in two months his friends from Labor will force him to leave the coalition and lose his portfolio." Lieberman said Netanyahu's fellow Likud members are also angry with him for "not responding to what Barak is doing."

ABBAS: FREEZE BEFORE TALKS

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas insisted on Sunday that Israel should freeze settlement building before he returns to peace talks, a statement in Jordan said, also reported the Ynet.

"Of course we will not stop contacts with the Americans," the palace statement quoted him as saying following talks with Jordan's King Abdullah II. "We will continue to communicate with them to find a solution to the Israeli settlements problem, which should stop before we go back the negotiations," the palace quoted Abbas as saying.

"Israel refused to renew a freeze on the settlement building, and we could not continue the talks. So now, there is a problem and we will follow up on through Arab coordination," Abbas added.

The Arab League Follow-up Committee on the “peace talks” is due to meet to form its position on Friday in the Libyan city of Sirte.

The king also met separately with Mitchell who arrived in Amman from Cairo, where he insisted the Palestinians want peace talks with Israel to continue the palace said. He briefed the king on US ‘peace’ efforts.

Mitchell was expected to fly back to Washington following his talks on Sunday. Following a meeting Sunday morning in Cairo with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak before going to Amman, Mitchell said that both Israel and the PA, despite their differences, “have asked us to continue these discussions in an effort to establish the conditions under which they can continue direct negotiations.“They both want to continue these negotiations, they do not want to stop the talks,” he said.

Directly after the meeting in Cairo, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit backed the Palestinians’ refusal to negotiate with Israel as long as it continued to build West Bank settlements.

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