Foreign Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman's announcement that Israel is not committed to the Annapolis conference agreement caused a stir worldwide, and created anger in the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli opposition. Lieberman said the government is not obligated to abide by the understanding, which was never ratified by the previous government.
In contrast, Lieberman said he was committed to follow the Road Map.
Palestinian Authority officials, who have been harshly critical of Lieberman throughout his career in politics, said Wednesday that Lieberman is “racist” and “hostile to peace.” Senior PA officials warned that they would refuse to deal with Lieberman.
Members of the Israeli opposition were critical as well. Hadash MK Afou Aghbaria went so far as to call for an international diplomatic embargo against Israel, “just like they did to Austria under Jorg Haider.”
Kadima MK Shlomo Molla attacked Lieberman as “a member of the most racist Cabinet in Israeli history,” while MK Yohanan Plesner, also of Kadima, accused Lieberman of causing serious damage to Israel's image abroad.
Kadima head Tzipi Livni, the outgoing Foreign Affairs Minister, slammed Lieberman shortly after his speech and said that his strongly anti-concession stance proved she was right in remaining in the opposition.
The United States, which sponsored the Annapolis Conference, was less directly critical of Lieberman, but reaffirmed that the U.S. insists on a “two-state solution,” that is, the creation of a PA state in Judea, Samaria and Gaza.