Arutz-7\'s Haggai Segal spoke today with Shomron Regional Council head Bentzy Lieberman, and asked him: \"You were at the meeting yesterday in Ofrah between Yesha Council leaders and Prime Minister Sharon. What happened there?\"
Lieberman: \"It was a very difficult meeting. We told him of the great hopes the public had for him when he came to power, yet we know that major changes have not yet been made, nor has the process been started. The PA must be defined as an enemy and must be defeated on the battlefield; negotiations can only be held on the basis of our victory over the terrorist murderers... Sharon did not disagree with this concept, and in fact said very severe things about the PA and its leaders - \"Liars, they can never be believed, I have never trusted them and will never trust them\" - and he made no distinction between the terrorist activities of Hamas, Tanzim, and Fatah. The words we heard were definitely good, but as you know, we have often heard good things, and we\'re now waiting for actions. We understood from him that he had met Tuesday night with Chief of Staff Mofaz to decide on a new conceptual strategy to fight terrorism not only in Yesha but all around the country.\"
Haggai Segal: \"Did he imply that it may be partly the army\'s fault?\"
Lieberman: \"\'Lulei d\'mistifina\' [If I weren\'t hesitant or afraid], I would say categorically yes. The army is something very precious to me, and we don\'t want to harm it in any way, yet there was something about Sharon\'s body language that indicated a certain frustration... It looked like he had hoped the army would present more creative and significant ideas. I had the impression that Arik is looking for an Arik, as Ben Gurion and other Prime Ministers had Arik Sharon [as a great military commander]… Just like in Gaza last month when he snapped, \'Under my command, there would have been less talk and more action,\' yesterday too he said something similar.\"
HS: \"In your opinion, is the army in fact working the best it can with the free hand it has been given?\"
BL: \"Since Oslo, the army has been working with a different mindset than it did in the decades before Oslo. Of late they have not been taught the same daring, the same chutzpah, and the like that they had before... I work with the army on many planes, and I have no doubt that in practical terms, the officers and soldiers are being stretched beyond their normal capacities. They are working very hard, and they deserve a lot of credit. But I am talking about something else: a switch in conception, a new manner of thinking. I am sure this will come, because we have very talented people there, and it will have to come...\"
Lieberman: \"It was a very difficult meeting. We told him of the great hopes the public had for him when he came to power, yet we know that major changes have not yet been made, nor has the process been started. The PA must be defined as an enemy and must be defeated on the battlefield; negotiations can only be held on the basis of our victory over the terrorist murderers... Sharon did not disagree with this concept, and in fact said very severe things about the PA and its leaders - \"Liars, they can never be believed, I have never trusted them and will never trust them\" - and he made no distinction between the terrorist activities of Hamas, Tanzim, and Fatah. The words we heard were definitely good, but as you know, we have often heard good things, and we\'re now waiting for actions. We understood from him that he had met Tuesday night with Chief of Staff Mofaz to decide on a new conceptual strategy to fight terrorism not only in Yesha but all around the country.\"
Haggai Segal: \"Did he imply that it may be partly the army\'s fault?\"
Lieberman: \"\'Lulei d\'mistifina\' [If I weren\'t hesitant or afraid], I would say categorically yes. The army is something very precious to me, and we don\'t want to harm it in any way, yet there was something about Sharon\'s body language that indicated a certain frustration... It looked like he had hoped the army would present more creative and significant ideas. I had the impression that Arik is looking for an Arik, as Ben Gurion and other Prime Ministers had Arik Sharon [as a great military commander]… Just like in Gaza last month when he snapped, \'Under my command, there would have been less talk and more action,\' yesterday too he said something similar.\"
HS: \"In your opinion, is the army in fact working the best it can with the free hand it has been given?\"
BL: \"Since Oslo, the army has been working with a different mindset than it did in the decades before Oslo. Of late they have not been taught the same daring, the same chutzpah, and the like that they had before... I work with the army on many planes, and I have no doubt that in practical terms, the officers and soldiers are being stretched beyond their normal capacities. They are working very hard, and they deserve a lot of credit. But I am talking about something else: a switch in conception, a new manner of thinking. I am sure this will come, because we have very talented people there, and it will have to come...\"