Israel’s Defense Minister Offers a Pessimistic Note to Visitor Petraeus

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman hosted American Gen. (ret) David Petraeus, who was on a private visit to the Jewish state on Sunday, and offered up an assessment considered pessimistic by some and realistic by others, but optimistic by none. Liberman told Petraeus not to expect a bilateral agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. He noted efforts underway throughout the 24 years since the Oslo Agreement changed the game between those two parties. But if there is a direction that needs to be followed, according to the DM, it’s a regional rather than bilateral approach. Liberman, who has been criticized for his suggestions concerning land swaps to compensate Palestinians for land Israel acquired in the 1967 war and will retain as part of any agreement, opines that a regional agreement could be facilitated by the creation of an “anti-terror” coalition that includes Israel and moderate Arab nations. The Middle Eastern adage “an enemy of my enemy is my friend” once again comes into play as those fighting ISIS and Islamic terror are seen as potential allies as the result of fighting a common enemy.