Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman met Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr on Tuesday and discussed Israel’s attempts to forge a relationship with the Palestinian Authority under Mahmoud Abbas. Lieberman said Israel has made many efforts, but that Abbas is clearly uninterested in real negotiations.

He noted that Israel has been taking steps to boost the PA economy, including providing 5,000 new work permits for jobs in Israel and assisting in the construction of four power stations. Abbas, he said, has responded by slandering Israel to the European Union, falsely accusing Israel of exploiting natural resources, closures in Gaza, and more.