Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Sunday told visiting U.S. envoy James Jones that that the creation of a Palestinian state under current conditions in the Gaza Strip and ongoing attacks on Israelis was not consistent with Israel's security requirements.
"Israel is obligated to respond to terror, and every process must offer a unilateral response to its security needs," said Livni. "The creation of a Palestinian state is not the required answer to Israel's security needs."
The foreign minister said a future Palestinian state must be led by those "who want not only to live in peace with Israel, but are also able to fight terror and promise the realization of all of its security needs."
This need is essential "not just prior to the creation of the Palestinian state but also after its establishment," she added.
No word on how Jones responded, but the the dearly departed Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is not likely to be pleased by her girlfriend's pronouncement.
The unusually blunt assessment raises the question as to Livni's motivation. Is a war in Gaza in the offing, or is she trying to distance herself from the position of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert?
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