Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s call for Palestinians to oust Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has been met with criticism and condemnation across Israel’s political spectrum. Most frequent among the reaction is that it’s not for Israel to meddle in the Palestinian domestic political scene. On Wednesday, Defense Minister Ehud Barak joined the list of critics according to a report in the daily Haaretz. The newspaper claimed that in a closed-door meeting between the two ministers, Barak told Lieberman his letter to representatives of the Quartet – the international entity overseeing the Israeli-Palestinian peace process comprised of the U.S.; U.N.; European Union; and Russia – “harms Israeli national interests, and will aggravate circumstances with the Palestinians. This is deeply misguided policy.” The newspaper had revealed the contents of the letter one day earlier, quoting it as calling the Abbas government “corrupt” and “dictatorial” while calling for the election of a new, “more legitimate” government. The prime minister’s office was also quick to distance itself from Lieberman’s position. In a statement, the PMO stressed that, “Israel does not intervene in internal politics in other places.”