Israeli Defense Minister: Peace Is Closer Than Ever
Image by getty images
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, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
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.
