Israeli Defense Minister: Peace Is Closer Than Ever
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said Israel is “far closer” to an agreement with the Palestinians than it has been before.
In an interview with Israel’s Channel Thursday, Liberman expressed confidence that an offer of normalized relations with Arab states would bring the government and people of Israel on board.
“We are far closer to an agreement than ever before,” he said. “If someone comes and puts a deal on the table that includes an agreement with all the moderate Arab states, including the opening of embassies, trade relations and direct flights, I believe that it will get an overwhelming majority in the Knesset and among the people.”
Liberman, the head of the hawkish Yisrael Beiteinu party, suggested U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration had played a role in creating an “arrangement,” but declined to provide details.
Asked how a deal would be realized, Liberman said, “Because Trump has arrived on the scene and because, as I keep saying, the Arab countries have internalized that their problem is not Israel. Israel can be a solution to the problem.”
Liberman has long said he does not believe peace is possible in the foreseeable future.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30