FM says Israel stands by IDF 'Marmara' raid soldiers, Turkish PM "a radical Islamic extremist", "great" for Israeli hasbara.
By GIL STERN STERN HOFFMANLiberman BS 311(photo credit: Benjamin Spier)
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman fiercely attacked Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan at an Israel Beiteinu pre-Rosh Hashana toast on Monday, calling his administration “a radical Islamic extremist leadership that supports and develops terror.”Lieberman said the Israeli government would stand by the Israeli soldiers who were named in a Turkish newspaper on Monday as bearing responsibility for the IDF's response to the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara in which nine Turkish militants were killed.RELATED:Netanyahu terms Erdogan comments 'outrageous, false'Peres to Abbas: Resume negotiations, don't waste timeHe mocked Erdogan's accusations against Israel in media interviews during the United Nations General Assembly in New York.“I saw Erdogan on CNN, and I think [his performance] was great for us,” Lieberman said. “If I wanted to improve Israeli hasbara [advocacy], I would buy media outlets around the world and have Erdogan talk from morning until night.”Lieberman also lashed out at MK Ahmed Tibi (United Arab List-Ta’al), who flew to New York with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and applauded during his speech."Representatives of terrorist organizations in the Knesset came to New York as part of the Palestinian delegation and spewed fire,” Lieberman said. “I find it interesting that I never hear Arab MKs complaining about mass murder in Syria.”Regarding the Palestinian quest for the unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state at the UN, Lieberman praised Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's handling of the situation and said Israel proved that success is achieved when Israel stands up for its principles. He scoffed at Defense Minister Ehud Barak and others who predicted disaster for Israel at the UN.
“There is no diplomatic tsunami or even rain on a cloudy day," Lieberman said. “I remember all the predictions of doom and all the people who said there would be a catastrophe. They should read the statements of the US State Department, Obama's speech and the document of the Quartet. I have reservations about the Quartet's decision, but the fact that it calls for negotiations without preconditions is a great achievement for Israel.”Lieberman rejected Palestinian demands to change the Paris protocol on economic relations with the Palestinians, saying that he could guarantee that Israel would not “change even a comma” in the agreement.
