Intelligence Minister Says "Israel Is No Longer Perceived As An Enemy By Most Of Its Neighbors"
Former Prime Minister Olmert affirms that the Netanyahu government "has no interest" in a peace process with the Palestinians
BAKU, March 11. (From the special envoy of Europa Press, Borja Aranda) -
Israel's Intelligence Minister, Gila Gamliel, stressed this Saturday that "Iran is the real reason why regional stability is at risk" and has argued that "Israel is no longer perceived as an enemy by most of its neighbors ", in reference to the signing in 2020 of the so-called 'Abraham Accords', which were joined by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.
Gamliel, who spoke at the closing day of the X Global Forum in Baku, organized by the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, pointed out that "the moderate countries of the region face a common enemy and threat that they must overcome together", before to emphasize that Iran "is not only a threat to Israel, but to the entire Middle East and beyond".
Thus, he has affirmed that the Iranian government "is the real elephant in the room" and has defended that the 'Abraham Accords' "are based on the common interests of the nations that make up the region." The minister also stressed that they represent a sample of "Israel's strength in a wide range of fields, from security and intelligence to advanced technology, agriculture and medicine."
"This cooperation between Israel and the region has never been seen before. This is the future," Gamliel asserted, adding that Israel is seen in the Middle East as "an important and necessary partner when it comes to repelling extremist elements in the region". "When the societies of the region begin to understand that Israel is an asset, the change will begin," she argued.
"The relationship between us is important to achieve more significant and historic progress with the aim of creating a Middle East full of cooperation", he explained, before insisting that he considers that the issues of peace, stability and regional development "are being built step by step thanks to courage and a shared vision".
Gamliel has redoubled his criticism of Iran, which he has accused of "lying" to the international community and even the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in reference to the uranium enrichment levels above 84 percent recently found in the Fordo plant, revealed by the international organization and attributed by Tehran to a possible diversion in the framework of its nuclear work.
"Israel will clearly continue to uphold its principles and I remember that we are firmly against signing another bad nuclear deal with Iran," said the minister, who also asked women's organizations around the world "to open their eyes to what is happening in Iran, where they are poisoning girls at school and arresting women because they want freedom."
"I ask the international community to unite in support of the just and crucial fight for the freedom of the people, especially the brave women in Iran. This is what needs to be talked about in the Middle East," Gamliel concluded. that he did not refer during his speech to the possibility of a peace process with the Palestinians, in the midst of the increase in tensions in recent months.
After the minister's speech, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert took the podium, who has been very critical of the government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu and which is made up of various ultra-Orthodox and ultra-right parties, which he has accused of "not having interest" when relaunching a peace process with the Palestinian authorities.
"I am not surprised that nothing has been said in this regard by a spokesperson for the Israeli government," he stated, while noting that the 'Bibi' Executive "is not interested, does not care, does not want to and does not makes no effort to establish a platform that will create momentum for negotiations with the Palestinians.
Olmert, who held the position between 2006 and 2009, has stressed that the Palestinian question "is part of the stability of the Middle East and beyond" and has pointed out that "no one ignores terrorism, no one denies the need and urgency to do everything everything possible to hit and stop the terrorists and not allow them to do anything that could harm innocent people.
"There is Palestinian terrorism, we must not ignore it. It is terrible and it did not start in recent weeks by this government in particular," he stressed, before pointing out that "having said this, it would be unfair, indecent and inappropriate to ignore the fact that For the last twelve years there has not been a government in Israel that has done anything to help launch a process of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians."
Olmert, who has lamented the "historic mistake" of Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas in not accepting his 2006 peace plan, has said he is "ashamed" of recent statements by Israel's Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, who defended "razing" the West Bank town of Huwara, attacked by Israeli settlers after the murder of two Israelis.
"When I hear ministers talking about the need to destroy Palestinian villages, how can I seriously think that this government is impatient, ready, willing or willing to do anything to change the mood of the Palestinians or to reduce the desire of the Palestinians to be able to think about the terrorism of perpetrating atrocities?", has been asked. "We are against pogroms, we were when they were perpetrated against us and we will never be in favor of pogroms against our neighbors and friends," she added.
Along these lines, he has acknowledged "concern" about the Iranian nuclear program, although he has maintained that "it has nothing to do with the Palestinian issue." "On the contrary, the more distant we are from approaching a process of negotiations with the Palestinians, the greater the Iranian danger is. The closer we are to a solution with the Palestinians, the further away the Iranian danger will be," he defended.
During the panel, the former secretary general of the Arab League Amr Musa thanked Olmert for what he described as "an important intervention", before stressing that "the former prime minister has indicated that the Palestinian state is possible ". "There is a core of people in Israel who want to end the conflict," he said.
"The issues are not impossible, what is impossible is the attitude of an extremist Israeli government," he stated, before arguing that "if what Olmert has said were accepted by the current 'establishment', we would be on the right track, But unfortunately that's not the case." In this sense, he has reiterated that "although there are windows of opportunity to speak, an actor to speak with cannot be found in Israel, especially now."
For his part, Prince Turki al Faisal al Saud, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, has stated that Riyadh considers that "there can be no (a) peace agreement (with Israel) without the existence of a sovereign, viable, independent and self-sufficient Palestinian State", in relation to the possible accession of Saudi Arabia to the 'Abraham Accords'.
"All the countries that participate in the 'Abraham Accords' have the legitimate and sovereign right to do so, but Saudi Arabia considers that it does not address the Palestinian problem," he pointed out, before recalling that "the initial statement published after the agreement is that it would stop the annexation of West Bank territories to Israel, but the Netanyahu government has publicly stated that it seeks to do so."