Saban Forum: Conversation with Israeli FM Liberman 6 Dec 2013
Israeli Missions Around The World MFA Press Room 2013 Saban Forum: Conversation with Israeli FM Liberman 6 Dec 2013

Saban Forum: Conversation with Israeli FM Liberman

  •   Power Shifts: U.S.-Israel Relations in a Dynamic Middle East
  • 12/6/2013
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    Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman spoke at the Annual Saban Forum in Washington, in a conversation moderated by David Ignatius, Columnist for The Washington Post.
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    Saban Forum: Conversation with Israeli FM Liberman Saban Forum: Conversation with Israeli FM Liberman Copyright: Saban Center for Middle East Policy, Brookings Institute
     
     
    Saban Center for Middle East Policy, Brookings Institute, Washington D.C.
    10th annual Saban Forum: "Power Shifts: U.S.-Israel Relations in a Dynamic Middle East"


    Highlights of remarks by Foreign Minister Liberman:

    • Today, Iran is a major threat not only to Israel, but for Saudi Arabia and other neighboring countries. We now stand on the threshold of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East, the consequences of which can confound the Hollywood horror movies. The main objective of the Israeli government is to ensure the safety of our citizens. Ultimately, we will take those decisions that we deem appropriate, and do it with the utmost responsibility.
    • Israel has no interest in isolation. We want to be an integral part of the international community. Israel can and must develop effective partnerships with regions such as Africa and Southeast Asia, the countries to which we are able to offer knowledge and experience in strategic areas for their economy and technologies.
    • Like all my fellow citizens, I want peace, I want stability, I want to find a solution. However, we are the only democracy in the region where neither democracy nor economic prosperity take root easily, a region that is undergoing unprecedented turmoil. I am deeply convinced that we need to continue the dialogue with the Palestinians, which resumed through the efforts of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
    • Those who talk about "occupation" todaysimply do not understand or deliberately distort the true history of the conflict. Only Israel has made concrete steps to establish peace in the region and demonstrated a willingness to make painful sacrifices. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not territorial - that's why it so difficult to resolve.
    • I have said many times that in order to achieve a genuine and comprehensive peace settlement I'll be ready to abandon the settlement in which I live, even my own home. However, it should be a real peace based on the recognition of Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state.

     
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