Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Monday downplayed the significance of EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana's call on Saturday for the United Nations Security Council to push forward and recognize a Palestinian state even without a final-status agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, dismissing it as not reflecting the European Union but rather the sentiment of a man who wants to be remembered before he retires.
"The precedents [of peace deals] in this area were not imposed [by external bodies], rather reached through direct talks between the sides," the foreign minister said on Israel Radio, citing Jordan and Egypt as successful peace partners with which Israel conducted direct talks.
"Peace cannot be forced, peace must be built," Lieberman added, noting that US President Barack Obama had expressed a similar sentiment.
