BICOM

Israel’s Justice Minister and lead peace negotiator Tzipi Livni yesterday robustly defended her decision to meet last week in London with Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas.

The meeting was the first between senior Israeli and Palestinian officials since peace negotiations between the two sides were suspended at the end of last month. The nine month talks, in which Livni headed the Israeli delegation, ended without an agreement. Just days before the deadline to the negotiations, Abbas’ Fatah faction agreed to form a unity government with Hamas, which remains dedicated to Israel’s destruction, prompting Israel to suspend the negotiations.

Livni apparently met with Abbas in the full knowledge of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who reportedly made clear to Livni that the meeting did not constitute any part of official negotiations. Nonetheless, as news of the meeting emerged, Livni was criticised by a number of right-wing coalition partners. A Jewish Home statement said that Livni had “long ago lost all contact with the Israeli voter.”

However, Livni brushed aside such criticism as she addressed her Hatnuah Party faction yesterday. She said, “I would like to remind everyone that the conflict isn’t over… We’re still here and the Palestinians are still here. Our interest is to resolve the conflict, and ignoring reality is not an option.” She added, “Ignoring the other side, not listening or talking, is irresponsible.” Livni acknowledged that “we can’t ignore the agreement between Hamas and Fatah,” but insisted “there is no option of not listening and not being heard.”

Addressing her critics directly, Livni said, “It’s clear to me that the extreme right doesn’t like the activities of our government. We are blocking the possibility of them establishing the state of Yitzhar,” in reference to a West Bank settlement considered a hotbed of extremism. She pledged, “To all those politicians up in arms, I want to be clear – we’ll continue doing what we believe in, and that’s what I did last week.”