BICOM

The US State Department yesterday commended Israel’s Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman for comments he made on Friday in praise of US Secretary of State John Kerry.

Kerry had been the target of criticism last week from some Israeli right-wing leaders, after he appeared to suggest that boycotts of Israel could gain traction if peace talks collapse. However, during a speech at a business conference n Friday, Lieberman said, “We do not want to turn our friends into enemies,” adding ,”We do not agree with Kerry on everything, but he is a true friend of Israel and he is leading the [peace] process correctly.”

Yesterday, US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said Lieberman’s words were “a powerful statement and a powerful message,” given Lieberman’s hawkish image. She added, “We certainly welcomed his remarks and his sentiment … and it’s a reflection of, of course, the belief of many people in Israel that a two-state solution is the right outcome at the end of this process.”

Also yesterday, White House spokesperson Bernadette Meehan rejected suggestions in the Israeli media over the weekend that President Obama does not fully back Kerry’s peace efforts. She said, “Any notion that Secretary Kerry failed to obtain the President’s backing for his efforts is totally false” and that, “President Obama remains fully invested in Secretary Kerry’s tireless work on behalf of peace.”

In his comments on Friday, Lieberman also took aim at Economy Minister and Jewish Home leader Naftali Bennett, a prominent critic of Kerry last week. Lieberman said that in criticising Kerry, “People are willing to sacrifice everything just to get a few lines in the newspaper” and that in particular, “I see [Bennett] running to the microphone, but not to the opposition.” According to Army Radio, Jewish Home sources hit back at Lieberman yesterday, saying that he “is to the left of [Justice Minister and chief peace negotiator Tzipi] Livni. He [Lieberman] supports dividing the land of Israel.”