Defense minister: No possibility of bilateral agreement with Palestinians
Liberman pushed for the establishment of an Anti-Terrorism Coalition that would include Israel and moderate Arab States in their fight against radical Islamic terror.
By JPOST.COM STAFFUpdated: JANUARY 23, 2017 00:00Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman (R) meets with retired US Army General David Petraeus in Jerusalem, January 22, 2017(photo credit: ARIEL HERMONI / DEFENSE MINISTRY)
Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman met with former Central Intelligence Agency director David Petraeus in Jerusalem on Sunday morning.The two men discussed Israel-US relations and their mutual determination to strengthen ties under the Trump administration amid regional and global security challenges for both nations.Liberman noted that what is most needed now in the region in terms of the US role in the Middle East is the establishment of an anti-terrorism coalition that would include Israel and moderate Arab states joined together in the fight against radical Islamic terrorism.Liberman said the success of such a coalition would serve as the basis for reaching a comprehensive regional settlement between Israel and the Arab states, including a solution to the Palestinian issue within the framework of population and territory exchanges.Liberman stressed that there is no possibility of a bilateral agreement reached solely between Israel and the Palestinians, noting that such an arrangement has been attempted many times over the past 24 years and that each attempt has failed. Resolving the conflict, he said, will only come as part of a broader regional arrangement.