JERUSALEM, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Israeli(以色列) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is outraged over statements made by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman in a speech he delivered Tuesday at the United Nations.
Lieberman told delegates to the UN General Assembly（联合国大会） in New York that a final peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians must be based on the swapping of territory and populations.
According to Lieberman's controversial（有争议的） plan, which is part of the official platform of his ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beiteinu party, part of Israel's Arab population would be moved and become part of a future Palestinian state.
In return, Israel would evacuate some Jewish settlements in the West Bank while maintaining its sovereignty over others.
It was the first time that Lieberman voiced his plan in an international forum.
Officials at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem criticized Lieberman's remarks, emphasizing they were not coordinated with the prime minister.
"The prime minister is the one who is conducting the political negotiations and is speaking on behalf of the State of Israel," read an official statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office on Tuesday.
"The various peace settlement issues will be discussed and determined at the negotiations（谈判） table and nowhere else," the statement said.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak was also among the criticizers of Lieberman's appearance at the UN.
A statement issued by the Defense Ministry Tuesday night clarified that "Lieberman's remarks do not reflect the Israeli government's position, and certainly not that of the Labor party, which believes that it is essential to continue with the (direct) talks and reach a breakthrough in the negotiations in order to attain a peace settlement with the Palestinians and not play into the hands of Israel's enemies."Legislators from the Kadima party, Netanyahu's main opposition, were even harsher in their critic of Lieberman, saying he is an obstacle to the recently-launched peace efforts.
"Netanyahu must fire Lieberman," said MK (member of the Israeli parliament) Meir Sheetrit, "if he'd fire him, that would solve half of the problems with the Palestinians... when the prime minister and foreign minister are divided over a matter handled by the government, Israel looks ridiculous in the eyes of the world."In his speech at the UN, Lieberman attempted to soften his remarks, stressing that he is not proposing a plan for "population transfer," a phrase that in the past provoked the wreath of Arab Israelis.
"We're not talking about populations transfer but about defining borders so as best to reflect（反映） the demographic reality," he explained.
In additional statements he made, Lieberman said that a peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians is "currently not realistic" and will only be achieved "within a few decades." Instead, Lieberman said the only alternative is a long-range intermediate settlement which will be based on the exchange of territory and populations.
Lieberman defended his position following the critique, saying his remarks represented the opinions of the "majority of Israel's citizens.""The truth isn't always pleasant, but must be said," Lieberman told daily newspaper Yediot Aharonot in a telephone interview on Tuesday.（本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑） |