anuary 14, 2014, 08:21 am
Israeli defense minister calls Kerry 'messianic'
By Rebecca Shabad
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Israel’s defense minister called Secretary of State John Kerry “messianic” on Tuesday.
Moshe Ya’alon made the comment in an interview with Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot just days before Kerry is expected to return to the region to continue work on peace talks.
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“The American security plan presented to us is not worth the paper it's written on," Ya'alon said, adding it doesn’t contain peace and security measures. “American Secretary of State John Kerry, who turned up here determined and acting out of misplaced obsession and messianic fervor, cannot teach me anything about the conflict with the Palestinians."
Kerry reinvigorated peace talks between the two sides during the summer and has aimed to help strike a final status agreement by the end of April. Both Israel and the Palestinians, however, have imposed obstacles that have impeded the negotiations.
A direct meeting between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators has not happened since late last year. Ya'alon said Kerry should leave Israel alone.
“In reality, there have been no negotiations between us and the Palestinians for all these months, but rather between us and the Americans. The only thing that can 'save us' is for John Kerry to win a Nobel Prize and leave us in peace."
Israel’s Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, who’s played a major role in the discussions, shot back at Ya’alon on Tuesday.
“Our relations with the US are our biggest national strategic asset, and they are vital for Israel's security," she was quoted as saying on her Facebook page. "You can oppose the negotiations and still not verbally attack and damage our relationship with our best ally."
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