Edelstein: Peres Comments Hurt Public Diplomacy Efforts

Arutz Sheva ^ | 1/1/13 | Elad Benari

[Eleutheria5]

President Shimon Peres's comments that Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is a partner for peace hurt Israel's public diplomacy efforts, Information and Diaspora Minister Yuli Edelstein (Likud) said on Monday.

Edelstein told Arutz Sheva that it is now clear that the Oslo Accords were a nightmare, adding that the focus of the storm around Peres's comments should not be whether the president should express a personal opinion during an election period but rather how his remarks affect Israel's public diplomacy.

"We spit blood while the Palestinians - sometimes successfully - try to convince leaders in Europe and North America that they are ready for peace but evil Netanyahu refuses because he is a rightist," said Edelstein. "We painstakingly break apart this approach, or at least manage to sow doubts, and here comes the president and says that Abbas is a partner, taking our efforts several steps backward."

He described a possible scenario in which a public diplomacy official tries to explain Israel's position regarding the right to peace while maintaining Israel's security to a minister from abroad, and the minister asks him whether he should believe the minister in charge of public diplomacy efforts or the president.

Edelstein also noted some of the public speeches given by Abbas in which he said that IDF soldiers are murderers and that the Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria are a battalion of fighters sent by the Government of Israel to kill Palestinian Authority Arabs.

In a speech he gave Sunday, Peres said that Israel had “no choice” but to pursue the “two state solution with Abbas, because he is the only Palestinian leader who agrees with many of the basic things Israel seeks in a settlement.”

.....

[Eleutheria5]

Did anyone in the PA say that Abbas has no choice but to pursue the two state solution with Peres? He is the only member of the present government who agrees that Israel should simply surrender and say it was sorry for existing on the way out.

[faithhopecharity]

yes, Peres hurts things by spouting inanities and impossibilities.

He is well past retirement age, perhaps his gray cell is on its last lap?

Give him a state award, a bonus, and a nice pretty camel... and a caravan maybe 15 miles south of Beersheba.

[Eleutheria5]

What will we call the award? I think it should be named after him. That will be the ultimate. The Shimon Peres Distinguished Wrongheadedness and Bass-ackwardness Award. Next year, we’ll give it to Tzipi Livni.

[faithhopecharity]

Maybe the Perez Unhelpful Twaddle Zoaf award?
(also known as the PUTZ award)

[Eleutheria5]

Perez Assclown Is Nuts (PAIN) award?

[faithhopecharity]

the SHimon Inane Twaddle award?

(no, yours is better....)

[Eleutheria5]

No. Yours.

Shimon Peres Unilateral Meddling Everyday (SPUME) Award. There. That beat both of ours.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Eleutheria5.

"We spit blood while the Palestinians -- sometimes successfully -- try to convince leaders in Europe and North America that they are ready for peace but evil Netanyahu refuses because he is a rightist," said Edelstein. "We painstakingly break apart this approach, or at least manage to sow doubts, and here comes the president and says that Abbas is a partner, taking our efforts several steps backward."