War Of Words Erupts With Syria

Jeremy Last In Jerusalem - Wednesday 10th February 2010

A bitter war of words erupted between Israel's controversial Foreign Minister and his critics this week after he refused to back down on a threat to depose the Syrian president and his family.

Branding his political opponents "losers," Avigdor Lieberman stressed on Monday that "as the Jewish state, we extend a hand of peace," but "faced with war, we must be determined."

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The comments followed a six-day period of heated exchanges which began with Syrian President Bashar Asad claiming that Israel was avoiding peace negotiations and instead "pushing the region toward war, not peace."

Syria's Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem followed this up by warning that, "Israel should not test Syria's determination," as "Israel knows that war will move to the Israeli cities."

Lieberman, who has made clear his opposition to returning the Golan Heights to the Syrians in exchange for peace, responded to Assad and al-Moallem in no uncertain terms.

"I think that our message must be clear to Assad. In the next war, not only will you lose, you and your family will lose the regime. Neither you will remain in power, nor the Assad family," he said at a speech at Tel Aviv University.

Lieberman's firebrand political style attracted widespread criticism both before and after his appointment as foreign minister after the general election in April last year, and his talk of war was seen by many within the political establishment as unnecessary and naive.

Kadima MK and former defence minister Shaul Mofaz called Lieberman "irresponsible," while prominent Labour MK Eitan Cabel, described the foreign minister as a "warmonger who has no honour or wisdom."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tried to calm the flames by using his weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday to stress that Israel was interested in making peace with all its neighbours, including the Syrians, despite any apparent bad feeling.

"Israel aspires to complete peace agreements with all of its neighbors. We did this with Egypt and Jordan and we aspire to achieve similar agreements with both the Palestinians and Syria," Netanyahu said, without directly referencing the Lieberman remarks.

However, the Israel Beiteinu leader was not to be denied a right of reply, saying on Monday that his party's electoral success gave him a mandate to speak on behalf of the Israeli people.

"All those who come to us with complaints about the policies of Israel and Israel Beiteinu are losers who lost the election," Lieberman told reporters. "The people who won the election are satisfied. Our policy is that we keep our word and our credibility. Those who come to us with complaints about our credibility are invited to read our platform online."

There have been no negotiations between Israel and Syria since indirect talks broke down in 2008, although Turkey has recently expressed interest in working as a go-between if negotiations can be revived.

Defence Minister Ehud Barak on Monday warned about the dangers of a lack of progress on this front, especially due to Syria's links with Iran.

"In the absence of an arrangement with Syria, we are liable to enter a belligerent clash with it that could reach the point of an all-out, regional war," Barak said.

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