Israel to Mid-East peace Quartet: you spoil it all

Israel's Foreign Minister has lashed out at external meddling in the Middle East peace process. Avigdor Lieberman said Israel's relations with the Palestinians are a matter for the two sides, and the Middle East Quartet is not needed.

International mediators like the Middle East quartet (made up of the US, the EU, the UN and Russia) have a mediocre record of resolving conflicts, doing more to harm the Middle East peace process than help it, the top Israeli diplomat told Interfax news agency.“If somebody wants his peacekeeping talents put to work, there are many opportunities nowadays to do that in the rest of the world. There’s the tension between India and Pakistan over Kashmir, the tension around North Korea, and of course the situations in Afghanistan, Yemen and Syria,” he said. “The world community is too active on the Israeli-Palestinian track. The way to solve this problem is in direct talks and removing the issue from the agenda of international institutions and media. They produce an unhealthy atmosphere.”Lieberman is right that international mediation cannot help solve the problem at the moment, says Israeli journalist and blogger Larry Derfner, but that is only part of the picture.“International mediation is finally taking the lead from the United States, and the US is taking its lead from pre-election public opinion, which is very anti-Palestinian, anti-Muslim, very pro-Israel, because Israel stands against the same enemy as America,” he told RT.“So international mediation, at least until the US election, is pointless. But Israel’s solving the problem without international mediation is also impossible. But it’s to Lieberman’s liking, because Lieberman does not want to solve the problem,” he added.