Reply #12: Under Lieberman, Foreign Ministry drops peace initiatives as goal [View All]

[Scurrilous]

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"Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has set priorities for his ministry that apparently are at odds with those of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

While Netanyahu is trying to convince U.S. President Barack Obama that he is sincere about advancing the peace process on the principle of two states for two peoples, the foreign ministry's written goals don't even mention the word "Palestinians."

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"Foreign Ministry director general Yossi Gal recently distributed a document detailing the ministry's goals for 2010 to Israeli embassies around the world. The goals are significantly different than those the ministry espoused during previous foreign minister Tzipi Livni's term, especially regarding the peace process.

Netanyahu's Bar-Ilan University speech, outlining his vision for the Middle East and his agreement to establishing a Palestinian state, is hardly reflected at all in the document. Nor are Netanyahu's statements about wanting to renew the talks with Syria and establish diplomatic relations with the Arab states.

The words "Palestinian state," "Syria" or "final status agreement" do not appear in the document.

Under the title heading the list - "strengthening national security" come secondary goals such as managing conflicts, advancing peace agreements and processes, strengthening deterrence, and fighting the delegitimization of Israel.

In Livni's era the ministry's top priorities were advancing the peace process and enlisting moderate Arab states to the process."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1127904.html