Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman called on the Middle East Quartet to press for new elections in the Palestinian territories to remove incumbent PNA leader Mahmoud Abbas from power, the Haaretz daily said on Wednesday.
In his letter to senior officials of the Middle East Quartet members - EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov - he describes Abbas as “an obstacle to peace.”
In the past years, Lieberman has been conducting a campaign to delegitimize the PNA leader, who had refused to return to the negotiating table unless Israel stops its settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
"The Palestinian Authority is a despotic government riddled with corruption," he said. "This pattern of behavior has led to criticism even within his own constituency. Due to Abbas' weak standing and his policy of not renewing the [peace] negotiations, which is an obstacle to peace, the time has come to consider a creative solution, to think 'outside the box,' in order to strengthen the Palestinian leadership."
The “creative solution” that Lieberman suggests is holding general elections in the Palestinian Authority. The elections, which were originally due to take place in 2010, have been postponed several times and a new date has not yet been set.
"Despite Mr. Abbas' delays, general elections in the PA should be held, and a new, legitimate, hopefully realistic Palestinian leadership should be elected," Lieberman said, adding that only such a government would be able to overcome the deadlock in the peace talks with Israel.
Abbas has repeatedly stated that he would not seek reelection to the post.
