By IANS,
Jerusalem: Israel Friday described Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ address to the UN General Assembly as a “speech of incitement”, Xinhua reported.
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman made the comments while speaking to a TV channel in New York, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings.
Lieberman, a minister of the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet, said that Israel had no choice but to press ahead ” without paying attention, and without making threats.”
He said much of Abbas’ speech was devoted to detailing how settlements have scuttled the peace process.
Israeli opposition leader Tzipi Livni, in his reaction to Abbas’ speech, said Abbas had clearly enlisted world opinion behind his cause to the detriment of Israel’s international standing.
Abbas, during his speech, also called on the UN to admit an independent Palestinian state as a full member based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Minutes before his speech, Abbas formally presented the Palestinian statehood bid to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Several countries in the council have pledged their support for the statehood bid, but Israel’s close ally the US has indicated that it would use its veto power in the council to stop it.