Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon, appeared on Rusty Mike Radio on Tuesday. Excerpts from the chat:
Settlements and Deadlock: Ayalon said that Palestinians were doing everything except sitting with Israelis for negotiations. He said that Palestinians were doing three things: making excuses and pre-conditions, threatening to use unilateral action, and exerting political power on the international level.
As for the issue of settlements, Ayalon had a message for the US: they have never been an obstacle to peace and it was a mistake to single out this issue.
The Coalition Problem: Ayalon, a member of the Israeli Beitenu Party, said that the Foreign Minister and leader of Israel Beitenu, Avigdor Lieberman, had called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Tzipi Livni to propose a coalition, but this was rejected by Kadima.
Campaign of De-legitimization: Ayalon used accusation such as Israel's role in shark attacks in Egypt and a captured "spy" vulture in Saudi Arabia are nothing short of a deligitimization campaign against the State of Israel.
Ayalon argued that anti-Israelism is the new type of anti-Semitism, adding that there is a network working against Israelis. Ayalon called on all pro-Israeli organisaitons to operate against these "enemies" who "take advantage of Israel's decency."
There could be no talk on a de-legitimization campaign without mentioning Turkey, with whom Ayalon sparked a diplomatic crisis last year in the "lower chair" incident. Ayalon called the Freedom Flotilla convoy to Gaza the "Turkish terrorist armada." He held up Israel's "innocence and goodwill" vis-a-vis its foes, saying that the boarding of the Mavi Marmara, the Flotilla's lead ship, and the killing of nine passengers could not be avoided.
Ayalon added that, at the end of the day, the clash occurred because of "enemies who are more dedicated".
The Jewish State: Ayalon responded to the Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas: "I don't need Abu Mazen [Abbas] to tell me in Hebrew that we are a Jewish state but to say in Arabic to his children so this will be the end of the conflict."
Israeli Arabs: Ayalon claimed that most of Israel's Arabs are loyal to the state but their leaders push them to extremism and discourage them from contributing to society, leading to problems in their municipalities. Ayalon said loyal Arabs want just education for their kids, good income and a quality of life.
Latin Americans: Ayalon asserted that the Latin American states who have recently recognised the state of Palestine did so because of external pressure from Ramallah and, more importantly, from their local Palestinian constituencies. The Deputy Foreign Minister was confident that these recognitions were only "lip service."
Land for Land: Ayalon reiterated his party's official version of peace as "land for land", including an exchange of population among territories. His idea was that most Jews in the West Bank should be taken inside the lands of Israel and most Arabs in Israel shall be counted as Palestinians along with those living under the Palestinian flag.
Ayalon did not elaborate furtherabout the territories for the transfer of Israeli Arabs. Did this mean their complete withdrawal from East Jerusalem, a part of the "eternal capital of Jewish people"?