Israeli President Shimon Peres speaks at a conference with Israeli ambassadors and heads of Israeli missions from across the world at the President's Residence in Jerusalem, Dec. 30, 2012. Peres reiterated his vision for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process Sunday. (Photo: Xinhua/Yin Dongxun)

December 31, 2012 (TSR) – President Shimon Peres on Sunday strongly criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on their handling of the Palestinian issue.

Speaking at the Foreign Ministry’s yearly conference, in front of one hundred Israeli ambassadors serving around the world, Peres said that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is a partner for peace.

“I’ve known him for 30 years,” said Peres. “No one will change my opinion about Abu Mazen, even if they say I cannot express it because I’m the president.”

Israeli President Shimon Peres speaks at a conference with Israeli ambassadors and heads of Israeli missions from across the world at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, Dec. 30, 2012. Peres reiterated his vision for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process Sunday. (Photo: Xinhua/Yin Dongxun)

It seems Peres needed to wait for Lieberman to be formally indicted by the state’s Legal Adviser before daring to express his opinion on the latter’s handling of Israel’s foreign policy over the last four years.

“As a diplomat, it’s always better to be a lion in a sheep’s skin, rather than to be a sheep, roaring like a lion, scaring the whole world,” said Peres. “The objective of diplomacy is to create friends, not to point out enemies.”

Peres criticized Netanyahu and Lieberman over the way they’ve treated Abbas. “I know that criticism of Abbas exists, and he has some for us as well,” said Peres.

Peres said that it takes a great deal of courage “for an Arab leader to stand up and publicly state that he is for peace rather than terror, and for a demilitarized state.”

Peres referenced the Palestinian Authority President’s comments to Israel’s Channel 2 a few weeks ago, in which he promised that he is not seeking to return to his home in Safed. “Put yourselves in his shoes,” said Peres. “A statement like that about Safed requires a great deal of courage. I don’t know any other Arab leader who said anything like that,” Peres pointed out.

Abbas: As long as I am in power, there will be no third intifada

In an interview with Israel’s Channel 2, Abbas said that as long as he remains in power, he will not allow a third, armed intifada — or uprising — to break out.

Channel 2’s political correspondent Udi Segal, who interviewed Abbas, tweetted parts of the interview: “We will not go back to terrorism and violence,” Abbas was quoted as saying. “We will only operate through diplomacy and through peaceful means.”

During the interview, Abbas addressed accusations put forth by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his administration, who recently claimed that Abbas’ true objective is a state within the 1948 borders. Netanyahu’s advisers laid that claim following a post the PA president published on his Facebook page.

In the interview, Abbas said that although he is a refugee from Safed, he does not intend to return to the city as a resident – if anything, he would visit as a tourist. “Palestine for me is the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as the capital, this is Palestine, I am a refugee, I live in Ramallah, the West Bank and Gaza is Palestine, everything else is Israel.”

In his Twitter account, Segal added that Abbas stressed that the Palestinian prime minister, Salam Fayyad, has not resigned, contrary to recent reports. “I spoke to him yesterday and he had no such intention,” Abbas said in the interview.

Netanyahu: Abbas’ words are empty

President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented Saturday on statements made by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to Israel’s Channel 2, in which he said that as long as he remains in power, he will not allow a third intifada to break out.

While Peres praised Abbas’ statements, Netanyahu condemned the Palestinian president and said his words do not match his actions.

“There is no connection between the Palestinian Authority chairman’s statements and his actual actions,” read a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office. Netanyahu’s office said that his invitation to meet with Abbas without preconditions is still open.

“Abbas has been refusing to renew the negotiations with Israel for over four years, despite a series of steps taken by Prime Minister Netanyahu, such as the unprecedented freeze on settlement construction,” the statement stressed. “In addition, Abbas has refused to discuss security arrangements needed to protect Israeli citizens.”

In an interview with Israel’s Channel 2 on Thursday, Abbas said that although he is a refugee from Safed, he does not intend to return to the city as a resident – if anything, he would visit as a tourist.

“Palestine for me is the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as the capital, this is Palestine, I am a refugee, I live in Ramallah, the West Bank and Gaza is Palestine, everything else is Israel.”

President Shimon Peres on Saturday praised the statements made by Abbas.

“His brave words prove that Abu Mazen (Abbas) is a real partner for peace,” Peres said.

“[Abbas] rejects terrorism and has pledged that under his leadership, there will not be a third intifada,” he said. “He understands that the solution to the refugee problem will not be on Israeli territory. These are statements of great importance,” Peres said.

“Abbas’ statements should be taken seriously. They are in line with the positions of most Israelis, who support the two-state solution. Israel is a peace-loving nation and as such we need to bravely extend our hand out in peace to a leader like Abbas, with whom Israel has a real hope for peace.

Channel 2’s political correspondent Udi Segal, who interviewed Abbas, tweeted parts of the interview: “We will not go back to terrorism and violence,” Abbas was quoted as saying. “We will only operate through diplomacy and through peaceful means.”

During the interview, Abbas addressed accusations put forth by Netanyahu and his administration, who recently claimed that Abbas’ true objective is a state within the 1948 borders. Netanyahu’s advisers laid that claim following a post the PA president published on his Facebook page.

In his Twitter account, Segal added that Abbas stressed that the Palestinian prime minister, Salam Fayyad, has not resigned, contrary to recent reports. “I spoke to him yesterday and he had no such intention,” Abbas said in the interview.

Labor Party leader Shelly Yacimovich, trying to appeal to centrist voters, provided a temperate response to Abbas’ comments. “A retreat to the borders of 1967 isn’t acceptable,” Yacimovich said. “The solution I accept is that of the Clinton plan according to which Israel would keep its major settlement blocks in exchange for territorial swaps, as was mentioned in the Abbas interview on Channel 2.”

Yair Lapid, chairman of the Yesh Atid political party, who just last week attacked Netanyahu and Lieberman for rejecting Abbas as a partner for peace, refused to answer questions regarding Abbas’ interview.

Source: Haaretz

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