Defense Minister, Bennett, Liberman express skepticism about diplomatic process after Palestinian kills airman.
By LAHAV HARKOVDefense Minister Moshe Yaalon 370(photo credit: Ariel Hermoni, Defense Ministry spokesman)
The results of the Oslo Accords were Israeli deaths by terrorists, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said on Sunday, following the murder of IAF airman Tomer Hazan by a Palestinian co-worker over the weekend.“In an hour, we will bury a soldier who was murdered by a Palestinian so that his body could be traded and a terrorist could be released from jail,” Ya’alon told Christian lawmakers from around the world at the Israel Allies Foundation’s Jerusalem Chairman’s Conference in the capital.“This is a tactic that, unfortunately, has been used in the past. 1,500 Israelis were killed after Israel signed a peace accord with the Palestinians. These are the fruits of peace,” he added.Ya’alon expressed skepticism about the current round of peace talks, calling it “another political process our allies think will bring peace.”Economy Minister Naftali Bennett addressed the same conference, saying that “people who throw soldiers into pits” are not partners for peace.“They destroy, we build. They kill, we grow. That was always the State of Israel’s response to terrorism.”“We aren’t accepted by those who surround us, and they resort to terror,” he added. “This has been going on for a long time.”Bennett mentioned the first victim of terror in modern Israel, who was murdered in 1851. His grandson was Yoel Moshe Solomon, one of the founders of Petah Tikva, and his great-grandson was a founder of Teva.“The lesson learned is that the answer to Islamic terror is to continue building,” the minister concluded.Bennett also pointed out that the Palestinian Authority has yet to publicly condemn the murder, adding: “In the opposite situation, all Israeli leaders, including myself, would condemn it.”
Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Avigdor Liberman (Likud Beytenu) said that the murder shows that the Palestinian Authority and its president, Mahmoud Abbas, are not interested in peace.“The murderer Nidal Amar is from a well-known Fatah family. A few months ago, Palestinian TV broadcast a program in favor of the murderer’s terrorist brother. The family has photos of Abbas and Arafat hanging in the entrance to its home,” Liberman stated.In light of all this, the Yisrael Beytenu leader added, “the fact that the PA and its senior officials did not clearly condemn the murder proves that the current negotiations with the Palestinians are purely a tactical move, meant to improve their international standing and blame Israel, while they have no real intentions to reach a treaty or stop encouraging and supporting the murder of Israelis.”
