Lieberman: Abbas government on borrowed time

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Thursday slammed the government of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, claiming that his days in power are numbered. “Abu Mazen (Abbas) can’t manage. They are on borrowed time. His corrupt regime cannot be salvaged,” Lieberman said speaking at a Jewish new year ceremony at the foreign ministry. The far-right politician added that Abbas had lost the Palestinian people’s trust, and called for reassessing relations with the Palestinian Authority. “I understand the fear of seeing reality as it is – we must reevaluate and address our relations with the PA with a new perspective,” he said Lieberman condemned the Oslo Accords on the 19th anniversary of their signing. “It is hard for me to see what we have gained. If I had to make an assessment, from my perspective there is no doubt that we are talking about the biggest diplomatic failure since the founding of the state.” Commenting on the recent rift in US-Israeli relations, he maintained that bilateral relations are “strong, based on common values, the economy, personal relations.” He insisted that all arguments and discussions must be held privately to avoid media. “There are enough communication channels,” he said.