Israel-Palestine: Foreign Minister Lieberman "No Peace for 10-20 Years"

Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Sunday that he sees no chance for a comprehensive Israel-Palestine agreement in the next 10 to 20 years. He added:

"We think that if we make more concessions everything will work out. Even if we return the last grain of sand, and divide Jerusalem, and agree to all the demands, nothing will change and we will be in the same situation....Israel has proved more than any other country that it is ready for painful concessions....

We brought here a group of terrorists from Tunisia, we gave them guns and a government....We need to tell the world that there are no "magic solutions". We will not get to a permanent agreement in the coming decade, or the one after that. The Palestinians are even unable to reach a stable peace agreement among themselves."

On the matter of peace talks with Syria under Turkish mediation, Lieberman said:

"I am not picking a fight with anyone but unsuitable things were said by the prime minister of Turkey.

As long as I am foreign minister, and as long as Israel Beiteinu is the senior member of the coalition, there will not be Turkish mediation between us and Syria, but rather only direct talks, in Jerusalem and in Damascus."

Lieberman's comments come as Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is expected to visit the Palestinian Embassy in Ankara, marking the first anniversary of the war in Gaza. During his visit, Davutoglu is expected to reiterate Ankara's emphasis on the urgent need to lift the blockade on Gaza.

The Minaret Ban: Turkish and Swiss Foreign Ministers Discuss Further Steps

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and his Swiss counterpart Micheline Calmy-Rey, attending the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) meeting in Athens, discussed the situation followed Switzerland's ban on minarets.

Davutoglu told Calmy-Rey that the ban could spark a furour similar to that following the 2006 publication in Denmark of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. He said: “Unless timely measures are taken, the issue could snowball instantly and turn into a global crisis.”

Davutoglu said later that Calmy-Rey was aware of how important the situation was and conveyed her word that she would be taking measures to address the situation. Both leaders talked about the possibility of reversing the ban through the collection of 100,000 signatures for a second referendum.

After the Minaret Ban: $50 Billion to Leave Swiss Banks?
After Swiss Referendum on Minarets: Who is Radicalizing Whom?

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Christophe Darbellay, president of the Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland, called for a ban on separate Muslim and Jewish cemeteries. According to the Swiss online daily Tagesanzeiger, Darbellay also wants to ban the wearing of burkas, head-to-toe veils worn by some fundamentalist Muslim women.