Foreign Minister Shimon Peres told American Vice President Dick Cheney yesterday that he should meet with Yasser Arafat without pre-conditions. Cheney said that he respects Peres but disagrees with him, and in fact did not meet with Arafat. Peres also holds that the government should make it easier, rather than harder, for Arafat to be allowed to travel to Beirut; he said that pressuring Arafat would upset him and make it harder for him to take action to stop the terrorism. Today, however, Peres said that Israel should treat the Palestinians with \"empathy\" and not push them into the arms of Arafat...
MK Avigdor Lieberman, the head of the Yisrael Beiteinu Knesset faction who quit the government last week, called on Prime Minister Sharon to replace Peres as head of the negotiating team. \"The Israeli public, as well as Prime Minister Sharon, must wonder who Peres is representing when he pressures Cheney to meet unconditionally with Arafat,\" Lieberman said.
MK Avigdor Lieberman, the head of the Yisrael Beiteinu Knesset faction who quit the government last week, called on Prime Minister Sharon to replace Peres as head of the negotiating team. \"The Israeli public, as well as Prime Minister Sharon, must wonder who Peres is representing when he pressures Cheney to meet unconditionally with Arafat,\" Lieberman said.