By Ryan Jones
Mar 01, 2007
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said on Thursday that Israel will not be duped by a pan-Arab offer for peace that in reality is a recipe for the destruction of the Jewish state.
In an interview with the "Palestinian" newspaper Al Ayamm, Livni said the 2002 Saudi-authored Arab League peace initiative introduced in Beirut is inadequate in its current form.
The deal offers Israel peace and normal relations with all its neighbors in exchange for the creation of a Palestinian Arab state in Judea, Samaria and Gaza.
But, noted Livni, the document also requires Israel to cease to exist as the Jewish state by allowing millions of so-called "Palestinian refugees" to flood across its borders.
Arab leaders have at various times admitted that the "Palestinian right of return" is their best weapon in the effort to destroy Israel, having failed to do so on the battlefield.
Nevertheless, international peace brokers continue to keep the issue on the table.