Liberman: Israel's Biggest Challenge in 2015 is Not Iran but Europe

Avigdor Liberman, Israel's Foreign Minister, stated that "not Iran, Hezbollah, or the Palestinians, but Western Europe is Israel's most significant challenge in 2015." According to the Jerusalem Post, Liberman made these remarks on Sunday, January 4, in a meeting with Israeli ambassadors in European countries. He claimed that some European countries are repeating accusations against Israel similar to the slanders found in the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion," a fraudulent and anti-Semitic document from 1903. Liberman also criticized the parliaments of European countries, noting that the parliaments of Ireland, the UK, France, and several others recently recognized the "State of Palestine," which has drawn criticism from the Israeli government. Although the Palestinians failed last week in their attempt to pass a resolution in the Security Council for the "end of the occupation of Palestinian territories," France and Luxembourg voted in favor of the draft resolution. In his remarks on Sunday, Liberman particularly criticized Sweden and Ireland, stating that their behavior is akin to the "foolish positions" of 1938 (on the eve of World War II). According to Liberman, "Israel is the only representative of Western values in the Middle East, but Europeans leave Israel alone." He also mentioned that the Palestinians' request to join the International Criminal Court "shows that the Oslo Accords have collapsed." The Oslo Accords were political agreements reached in the summer of 1993 between the then Israeli government led by Yitzhak Rabin and the Palestine Liberation Organization led by Yasser Arafat, which established the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In his comments on Sunday and also a day earlier, Liberman stated that Netanyahu's government policy towards the Palestinians has been "passive," while the Palestinians have been advancing a "political campaign" in international institutions. Liberman said that Netanyahu exaggerates in his statements regarding the Palestinians' joining the International Criminal Court.