Envoy complains to UN over Lieberman 'incitement'

The Palestinian envoy to the United Nations has complained to the Security Council that the Israeli foreign minister's call for President Mahmoud Abbas's removal constitutes "incitement" and undermines the peace process.

Avigdor Lieberman called the president "the greatest obstacle to peace" and his resignation a "blessing", in remarks to reporters on Monday. After outcry from Palestinian ministers and a UN spokesman warning the comments were "deeply troubling" and an attempt to delegitimize the president, Lieberman repeated his comments to Israel's army radio on Wednesday.

Amb. Riyad Mansour, chief of the Palestinian mission at the UN, wrote to the Security Council president on Wednesday warning "such threats must be directly confronted."

"We consider (Lieberman's) statement to be the official policy of Israel," Mansour's letter stated, calling on the Israeli government to publicly denounce the comments.

The foreign minister's call for Abbas's removal is "a clear threat against the life of (the president), whose commitment to peace is unquestionable," the letter said.

It warned such threats "foment hatred and violence towards the Palestinian people and their leadership and exacerbate the already high tensions and deep mistrust between the two sides, leading to further destabilization of the situation."

The Security Council, which is poised to report on the Palestinian application for full membership of the UN on Nov. 11, must ensure Israel "ceases its hostile incitement and aggression against the Palestinian people and their leadership," Mansour's letter said.

If Israel is not compelled to comply with international law, he wrote, efforts for a peaceful solution "will be totally undermined and undone."

Israel, and its chief ally the US, oppose the Palestinian UN bid, saying resolution of the conflict must come through negotiations between the sides.

Abbas says the bid does not undermine talks, but he must establish world recognition while Israel continues to occupy and build settlements on Palestinian lands, threatening a two-state solution.

Lieberman has frequently criticized the president in the past, and often graces the headlines for his undiplomatic language, but is the most powerful partner in Netanyahu's conservative coalition government.