Labor faction members taking part in a meeting on Monday were critical of a recent statement released by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, expressing his objection to Turkey serving in the role as mediator between Israel and Syria in the future. Lieberman feels that after Turkey’s strong anti-Israel position following Operation Cast Lead, it can no longer play the role of an impartial third party.

Lieberman was addressing an assembly of Israeli diplomats from around the world and his negative remarks were interpreted by Laborites as pointing in the direction of Minister of Industry & Trade (Labor) Binyamin (Fuad) Ben-Eliezer, who has been working to restore strained relations between the two countries.

“One cannot spit at us and declare it is raining” shouted the angry Labor faction members, rejecting Lieberman’s statements which they insist undermine the hard and successful work by Ben-Eliezer during recent visits to Turkey coupled with his renewed contacts with senior Turkish officials. Minister Yitzchak Herzog pushed the matter to the point that he demands party leader Ehud Barak raise the issue with the prime minister, to call Lieberman to order, to inquire as to why exactly he feels compelled to release statements that undermine the work of cabinet ministers.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)