Ministers' responses mixed as president attends WEF; Steinitz: Peres' declarations on two-state solution don't help Israel.
By LAHAV HARKOVUzi Landau 370(photo credit: reuters)
Ministers' reactions to President Shimon Peres's calls for the resumption of peace talks Sunday showed differences of opinion within the government on how to deal with the Palestinian conflict and border issues.Peres called for the immediate resumption of peace talks at the World Economic Forum in Jordan, leading Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz to quip ahead of a cabinet meeting: "I didn't know that Peres became the government spokesman.""I think the government has its own spokespeople," Steinitz continued. "The position of the president of Israel is respected, but the government makes policy decisions, and I think that every declaration of this sort, certainly on the eve of negotiations, does not help Israel's stance."Tourism Minister Uzi Landau called pre-1967 lines "Auschwitz borders" ahead of Sunday's cabinet meeting.Landau's comments, quoting a well-known turn of phrase by former foreign minister Abba Eban from 1969, came after US Secretary of State John Kerry visited the region and called for a treaty based on pre-1967 lines with land swaps."What country would start talks that aim to break down its ability to defend itself?" Landau asked. "I hear people talking about a Palestinian state that must be established. There's a long list of Arab states that are falling apart – Syria, Libya, Yemen. The Palestinian Authority with which we once signed an agreement split into Judea and Samaria and Gaza. Why would we work to create a state with unclear chances of survival?"The Likud Beytenu minister called for the government to be realistic and not "build policies on dreams that may never come true.""Whoever wants something serious [to come of peace talks] should stay away from the idea of a Palestinian state," he added.Environmental Protection Amir Peretz provided the opposite view, saying "any diplomatic agreement will certainly be based on '67 lines and land swaps."The Hatnua minister expressed hope that declarations made by Peres – "who is in Jordan in coordination with the prime minister," Peretz pointed out – will drive a renewal of peace talks.
"Everything happening around us [in the Middle East] requires us to invest as much as possible in the peace process with the Palestinians," Peretz added.
