Foreign minister says he wants to avoid having
to "throw people out of their homes," hopes border will shift instead •
"Not even one Palestinian refugee will be granted the 'right of
return,'" Lieberman says.
Foreign Minister Avigdor
Lieberman says he would like to move the border, not the people
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Photo credit: Yoav Ari Dudkevitch  |
Any peace agreement with the Palestinians must
involve land swaps that put Israeli Arab towns under Palestinian
control, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Sunday.
Lieberman, who was speaking at an annual
conference of Israeli ambassadors in Jerusalem, said he would support a
peace deal with the Palestinians only if Israel exchanged the Israeli
Arab towns in Wadi Ara (southeast of Haifa) and the area north east of
Tel Aviv (known as the "Triangle") for equivalent territory in Judea and
Samaria.
"Israel's [eastern] border would shift to
Highway 6," Lieberman said, referring to the major north-south artery
that skirts the pre-1967 borders and lies west of the Israeli Arab towns
he mentioned.
"Without land swaps, I would not favor any
deal and I made that clear. We are not talking about the transfer of
populations like in the Disengagement Plan, when people were thrown out
of their homes in 21 communities [as part of the Israeli pullout from
the Gaza Strip and northern Samaria]. No one is going to be expelled and
no one will have their property seized; everyone will get to stay where
they are. The only difference is that the border will have shifted."
Lieberman warned that the influx of Palestinian refugees might overwhelm the new Palestinian state.
"We are talking about some 3 million refugees
[currently living in Arab states] who will join the 2.4 million
Palestinians already living in Palestinian areas." He stressed that
under no circumstance would he allow Palestinians to enter Israel.
"Not even one Palestinian refugee would be
granted the 'right of return.' It is clear that even if we let a small
number in, this would put tremendous pressure on us. That is why I would
reject their return even on a theoretical level," he said.
Lieberman stressed that he would support a
"comprehensive and viable peace deal," and noted that it was important
to continue the dialogue with the Palestinians.
"Despite my doubts, talking is important.
Talking can lead to a more normal life. I appreciate U.S. Secretary of
State John Kerry's efforts," he said.
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