Lieberman rejects Germany's request to free up Palestinian tax money

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PA President Mahmoud Abbas "is taking the money and handing it out to murderers," the Foreign Ministry officials quoted Lieberman as saying to Westerwelle on Thursday. "He is continuing to take unilateral steps, both in the UN Security Council and in the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Israel cannot be expected to be the one who adheres to the rules of the game. We also have emotions and public opinion."

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Lieberman also rejected the German argument that another sanction, Israel's plans to expedite the construction of 2,000 housing units in East Jerusalem and the West Bank areas of Gush Etzion and Ma'aleh Adumim, would escalate the security situation.

"Stop talking to me about settlements - they have never been an obstacle to peace," Lieberman told his German counterpart, said the Foreign Ministry officials. "With all due friendliness and esteem, we will not accept that Gilo is a settlement."

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Germany voted against granting full UNESCO membership to Palestine, and highly placed German government sources said the Angela Merkel government viewed the Israeli sanctions as "planned escalation."

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/lieberman-rejects-germany-s-request-to-free-up-palestinian-tax-money-1.394261