Israel’s foreign minister said on Friday he believed the US and Israel would resolve their differences over Jewish settlements and accused the Palestinians of using the issue to avoid peace talks.
Avigdor Lieberman said settlements were not “an obstacle” to peace, adding that Israel was ready to start direct talks with the Palestinians immediately.
“It’s very clear that ... the settlements ... [are] an excuse for those that tried to avoid any peace talks,” he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a backer of Jewish settlers, insists that construction must be allowed to continue to accommodate “natural growth” of the settler population in the West Bank through births and marriages.
The Palestinians want the West Bank and Gaza Strip for their future state and say they won’t renew peace talks until Israel agrees to freeze settlement construction and negotiate Palestinian statehood.
US President Barack Obama’s administration is backing the Palestinians on the settlement issue — demanding a freeze in hopes of promoting peace talks, encouraging the Arab world to make overtures toward Israel and improving US relations with Arab states.
Neither side gave any ground when Lieberman met US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday in Washington.
Lieberman was asked after a meeting on Friday with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon whether the dispute with the US could be resolved.
Speaking in English, he said: “We have one disagreement, and I think that even in this point we can formulate understandings — we can achieve understandings.”
Later, speaking in Hebrew, he said Israel was “working hard” to reach an agreement with the US and referred to Netanyahu’s speech earlier this month in which he endorsed the idea of a Palestinian state for the first time.
“I believe that after the prime minister’s speech, there is a new positive approach to this issue, and even there we’ll find a formula that will bridge the differences,” Lieberman said.
The settlement issue is expected to dominate Netanyahu’s meeting next week with US special Middle East peace envoy George Mitchell.
Netanyahu’s endorsement of the idea of a Palestinian state listed a series of conditions rejected by the Palestinians — including a refusal to share control over the holy city of Jerusalem, demilitarization of a Palestinian state and recognition of Israel as a Jewish state.
However, Lieberman said there was now a chance to start a dialogue with the Palestinians.
“We don’t have any precondition,” Lieberman said. “I think that we [have a] right for our position. The Palestinians have [a] right for their position and ... it’s important to start with talks without precondition, and every side will try to convince the other side.”
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