Israel’s Foreign Minister Liberman: Ties with US have Weakened

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman says Jerusalem needs to seek new allies that are not dependent on money from the Islamic world. 

By Gil Ronen

 

 

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman said Wednesday that Israel needs to seek allies other than Washington.

The hawkish, blunt-talking chief diplomat, who returned to office earlier this month after seeing off graft charges, spoke as major powers, including the United States, sought to seal a deal with Iran on its nuclear weapons program.

“The link between Israel and its main strategic partner the United States has weakened,” Liberman said.

“One can understand that,” he added. “The Americans have got too many challenges – North Korea, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, and they’ve got their own domestic economic problems.

“We need to stop demanding, complaining, moaning,” he opined, “and instead seek countries that are not dependent on money from the Arab or Islamic world and who want to cooperate with us in the field of innovation.”

Liberman did not elaborate on what alternative partners he had in mind but he has not hesitated in the past to speak out against Washington when he has considered it to be acting against Israeli interests.

The Israeli government has mobilized all of its lobbying power with the US Congress and public in recent weeks against a potential deal with Iran that it sees as extremely dangerous.

Israel regards Iran as its main strategic threat and says sanctions must not be eased until Iran makes major concessions that show it is not trying to build a nuclear bomb.

 

View original Arutz Sheva publication at: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/174278#.Uo1AbeLeqlg