Fatah MP urges end to contacts with Israel after Lieberman letter

Fatah spokesman in Gaza Fayez Abu Aita said continuous incitement against President Mahmoud Abbas would not deter him from his political program to establish independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. Abu Aita told a news conference that threats against Abbas will only create great solidarity among Palestinians and their leadership. Lieberman's remarks on Abbas is a mere "throwing dust in eyes'', he added. Lieberman just wants to mislead Palestinians to oppose Abbas, Abu Aita said. For his part, Palestinian Legislative Council member Ashraf Juma, from Abbas's Fatah party, said all factions should unite in condemning Lieberman's remarks. Palestinian politics must take account of these remarks and find a new way to deal with Israel's policies, he told Ma'an news agency Thursday , alluding to the ongoing efforts to open negotiations with Israel. Instead, "the Palestinian people should organize mass rallies to support Mahmoud Abbas," Juma said. The palestinian legislator said he had long warned of an Israeli policy to undermine Palestinian diplomacy by conspiring against Abbas. In the same context, Head of the Palestinian National Initiative Mustafa Barghouthi also added his condemnation of Lieberman's remarks, echoing comments by PLO official Hana Ashrawi that they are fundamentally racist. Barghouthi said Israel's inflammatory politics, headed by Lieberman, aimed to heighten tension, terrorism and violence against Palestinians. He called on the international community to take punitive measures against Israel. In a related development, a Fatah lawmaker on Thursday called on the Palestinian leadership to refuse to meet with Israeli officials until their ministers halt threats to President Mahmoud Abbas. Meanwhile Israeli daily Haaretz reported on Thursday that Israeli defense minister Ehud Barak said in a private discussion that Lieberman's letter was a mistake. The report quoted Barak saying: "This letter harms Israeli national interests, and will aggravate circumstances with the Palestinians. This is deeply misguided policy." Israel's FM called for Palestinian elections to choose "a new, legitimate, hopefully realistic" leadership. Lieberman wrote to EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton this week accusing Abbas of "acting to undermine attempts to renew the peace process." He called for elections to choose "a new, legitimate, hopefully realistic" leadership. An official in the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has earlier said on Wednesday that Lieberman's letter did not represent the position of the Israeli government.