Liberman in Netanya
Liberman in NetanyaTamir Bargig

Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman spoke Wednesday during the course of an event at the Center for Strategic Dialogue at the Academic College in Netanya.

During the course of his speech the Defense Minister spoke about the allegations which have been raised against the prime minister. "There is nobody wiser than those experienced and I have 17 years of experience of meetings, interrogations and allegations. There were words spoken between two old foxes but the result did not lead to a change in the coverage of Yediot Aharonot. On words alone an indictment will not be submitted.

"There are attempts on the part of the media to pressure the Attorney-General and the State Prosecutor to press charges. As one who has suffered this personally I can say that there are a number of media outlets which specialize in this," added Liberman.

The Defense Minister also referred to the disturbances which broke out this morning in the Negev and the murder of Warrant Officer Erez Levi, saying that "I saw the pictures of the attack this morning and it is clear that it was a premeditated running over. The Arab MKs came to incite and arouse people. We need to distinguish between the Amona issue and what happened in the Negev. In the case of Amona the High Court gave an extension until the 8th of February and in the second case the court after 12 years refused to give an extension."

"The Prime Minister and Public Security Ministers deserve kudos for their treatment of a problem which has festered for many years. The fact that we didn't deal with this issue until there are now 100,000 illegal structures is our problem but one must start from somewhere," said Liberman.

Liberman referred to the possibility of a political solution with the Palestinian Authority and stated, "The Palestinians are the central problem of the world but not of the Defense Ministry. A thriving Palestinian economy is a security interest for Israel as if the economy is stable in Judea and Samaria it is due to us and not to the PA and we say the dramatic difference between Gaza and Judea and Samaria but first we must maintain a stable economy in Judea and Samaria.

"There is no connection between the communities in Judea and Samaria and the peace process, they will not sign of their own initiative, as Mahmoud Abbas has no backing from his own people. I do not believe in an individual agreement with the Palestinians but rather in a regional agreement. You have to be strong to reach an agreement.If you are weak- you can't make agreements," concluded Liberman.