Lieberman: Transfer Arab areas of Jerusalem to Palestinians
By Lily Galili
Haaretz, December 17, 2004
National Union party leader and former minister Avigdor Lieberman said yesterday he supports the transfer of some of Jerusalem's Arab neighborhoods and Israeli Arab communities in Wadi Ara to Palestinian control, in conjunction with the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Lieberman's position on the transfer of Arab areas to Palestinian control is part of his recently formulated vision for a Jewish state based on ethnic separation from the Palestinians.
Speaking at the Herzliya conference, Lieberman for the first time publicly expressed support for transfer of areas within Jerusalem's municipal boundaries to the Palestinians. Israel's primary problem, Lieberman said, is not the Palestinians but rather the country's Arab citizens. He said this problem must be taken care of before the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be resolved.
"The linkage that has been created between the Palestinian problem and the Israeli Arab problem will destroy us," Lieberman said.
Under Lieberman's plan for an exchange of territory between Israel and the Palestinians, Israeli Arab communities in the Wadi Ara region would be annexed to the Palestinian state.
The former minister's plan for Jerusalem would keep holy areas such as the Mount of Olives and Mount Scopus under Israeli control but would cede to the Palestinians Arab neighborhoods such as Jabal Mukkaber, which is now part of united Jerusalem.
Lieberman told Haaretz his plan was not a "division of Jerusalem," noting that he does not consider certain Jerusalem neighborhoods, such as Jabal Mukkaber and Issawiya, to be part of the city. "I don't want to pay national insurance to residents of these neighborhoods. The Palestinians should provide them with national insurance, labor representation and the right to strike," Lieberman said.
Lieberman also said that, unlike left-wing activists who back the People's Voice and Geneva Initiative, he is not seeking peace but security. Nor is he seeking a partner for the creation of a Palestinian state, but rather a partner for the resolution of what he called "the problem of Arabs in the Land of Israel."
"I don't want to be part of the `New Middle East,' I want to be a representative of Europe in this region. I am not excited by eating hummus in Damascus; rather, I prefer walking around in Paris and London," he said.
Regarding the Palestinian refugee issue, Lieberman said solutions must be found for them in the countries in which they are currently residing.
"If Saudi Arabia does not understand that it is worthwhile investing money in the settling of refugees where they are now living, I would be happy to explain this to them in Russian. And I'm certain they would then understand," Lieberman said.
