Defense Minister Ehud Barak tip-toed closer to the coalition government policy Wednesday and called on Abbas to resume direct talks without pre-conditions for a building freeze. He told visiting Senators Joe Lieberman, John McCain and Lindsey Graham that he believes direct talks will resume in several weeks.
Speaking on Army Radio, the Defense Minister and Labor party chairman brushed aside the demands for an extension of the temporary freeze, saying that obstacles can be worked out once direct discussions resume.
The Labor party has been the lone holdout from coalition leaders’ insistence that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu uphold his promise that the 10-month freeze on building for Jews in Judea and Samaria will not be extended.
If Barak and the Obama administration were hoping for cracks in the coalition, they were sorely disappointed. Prime Minister Netanyahu avoided a difficult session with U.S. President Barack Obama Tuesday by leading a successful campaign against an initiative to require Knesset approval for a building freeze.
However, the Prime Minister and president got a clear message from the will of coalition party whips, all of whom—except Labor—signed a letter opposing any extension of the freeze.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman also issued a clear statement that Israel “will not accept any payment” for resuming direct talks. Visiting Helsinki, he told Finnish President Tarja Halonen (pictured), “There is no chance that the building freeze will be extended. On 26 September, life in Judea and Samaria will return to normal. If the Palestinians desire a normal life for their people, their only recourse is to return to the negotiations with no preconditions."
Earlier Tuesday, Foreign Minister Lieberman met with Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb and discussed Israel-Finland bilateral relations with him. They also discussed the Iranian issue, and the Foreign Minister stated that nuclear weapons in the hands of Iran will pose a threat to the stability of the Middle East and the entire world.