Jerusalem : Israel should renew negotiations with the Palestinians in order to establish a strong axis with Arab states against the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, the country’s Justice Minster Tzipi Livni has said.
Livni, who was also Israel’s chief negotiator in the talks with the Palestinians, made the statements after a meeting convened by the Israeli prime minister and law enforcement officials, discussing possible actions against the establishment of militant cells in Israel that would identify with IS and the infiltration of such militants to Israeli territory, Xinhua reported Thursday citing the Ha’aretz daily.
“Without peace talks we cannot create such an alliance,” Livni said, referring to an alliance with moderate Arab countries.
“Peace talks would help us fight terrorism that is threatening everyone. Those who don’t want to solve this conflict are the ones who will lead us in the end to a bloody battle with beheaders,” she added, according to the daily.
The Minister added she was working on a bill that would enable authorities to prosecute any Israeli who declared himself a member of the IS. A week ago, Defence Minister Moshe Ya ‘alon said the IS was an “unauthorised organisation”, paving the road for the upcoming bill.
“The law would allow the state to try any citizen who is a member of an armed terrorist organisation with an extreme Islamic ideology in order to defend Israel from terrorism,” Livni said in the meeting.
The participants in the meeting Wednesday afternoon also included Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich, police chief Yohanan Danino and other representatives from the Shin Bet security agency and the defence establishment.
The meeting was held just several hours before US President Barack Obama was set to deliver a statement to the American people regarding the upcoming international coalition assembled to fight the IS in Iraq.
Israel and the Palestinian Authority conducted negotiations for nine months between July 2013 and April 2014, after a three-and-half-a-years’ halt in contacts.
The negotiations were suspended by Israel, however, following the establishment of the Palestinian national unity government amid a reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas.
Israel announced it would not conduct negotiations with a Hamas-backed Palestinian government, as it was a terrorist organisation that has vowed Israel’s destruction.