Israeli Foreign Minister wants Palestinian leader ousted August 22, 2012 - 15:23 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has called on the Middle East peacemaking Quartet to force elections on Palestinians in a bid to oust president Mahmud Abbas and revitalize the dormant peace process, AFP reports. In a letter sent to the Quartet's top diplomats, Lieberman said that Abbas "apparently is uninterested or unable... to reach an agreement which would bring an end to the conflict." "The time has come to consider a creative solution, to think 'outside the box,' in order to strengthen the Palestinian leadership," wrote Lieberman. "General elections in the PA (Palestinian Authority) should be held, and a new, legitimate, hopefully realistic Palestinian leadership should be elected." Direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians have been on hold since September 2010 following an intractable dispute over settlements, and Quartet efforts to bring the two sides closer together have so far led nowhere. In the letter, Lieberman said Israel had made "several significant gestures" to the PA, including efforts to boost its economy, an agreement to employ more Palestinian construction workers in Israel and reducing the number of roadblocks in the West Bank. "Unfortunately, despite these steps, we do not see any willingness or positive attitude on the part of the PA," Lieberman wrote to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. To Lieberman, the standstill in talks could be resolved through the "creative solution" of internal Palestinian elections. "In his deeds and his behavior, Abbas does not represent the general Palestinian interest," he wrote. "Despite Abbas' delays, general elections in the PA should be held, and a new, legitimate, hopefully realistic Palestinian leadership should be elected," Lieberman stated, noting that "PA elections were due to be held in 2010 and have since been postponed several times." Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat slammed Lieberman's letter as "incitement to murder."   Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads.   Partner news |  Latest news Erdogan wants “realistic road map” for relations with Armenia  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for a “new realistic road map” for relations with Armenia.Armenia-Azerbaijan: Experts launch work on determining coordinates Expert groups from the countries started the process of determining the coordinates based on geodetic measurements.Yerevan says did not expect CSTO in peacekeeping role Pashinyan has declared that the CSTO would be expected to come to the Armenia-Azerbaijan border as an ally of ArmeniaHenrikh Mkhitaryan wins Serie A title with Inter Inter Milan midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan admits that the team have long been imagining clinching Serie A against AC Milan. |
