Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Monday that it is in Israel's best interests to reduce tensions with Turkey, and also emphasized Israel's need to push for a two-state solution with the Palestinians.
In response to Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's comments Sunday calling the Turks liars and the Palestinian Authority illegitimate, Barak stressed that his Labor Party is committed to diffusing tensions with Turkey as well as reaching an agreement with the Palestinians.
"We must do what we can to moderate and restrain tensions with Turkey," Barak said during a visit to Elbit Systems, a defense electronics company in Haifa. "We need to put the tensions behind us and not turn our disagreements with Turkey into a central topic in Middle East politics."
"It's in Israel's interests to reduce the tensions and to quickly return to a level of normalcy in our relations with Turkey," he added.
Barak also reiterated his call for a peace agreement with the Palestinians based on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Bar-Ilan speech, which called for two states for two people.
On Sunday, Lieberman declared that Israel should not reach an agreement with the Palestinians and personally attacked Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, saying that the Palestinian Authority is an "illegitimate government that doesn't conduct elections. We should not reach an agreement with them."
Lieberman also took a stab at Turkey, calling the Turkish prime minister and foreign minister liars and added that Israel will not apologize for killing nine Turkish activists during Israel's raid on a Gaza-bound ship in May.
Moreover, Lieberman criticized Netanyahu, saying that his attempt to achieve a peace agreement with the Palestinians that would tend to all core issues within a year is simply unrealistic.
During Yisrael Beiteinu's party meeting on Monday, Lieberman defended his comments, saying he didn't say anything out of the ordinary.
"We cannot allow ourselves to become Turkey's punching bag," said Lieberman. "We are most certainly thankful to the Turks for aiding us in the Carmel fire but I remind them that in 1999, Israel aided Turkey for weeks after the earthquake. And if, God forbid, a disaster happens to strike Turkey, we will be glad to help them – unrelated to our political relations."
Lieberman condemned the rally in Turkey on Sunday, which drew thousands to a port in Istanbul to greet the Turkish ship the Mavi Marmara which was at the center of the Gaza flotilla raid.
"What happened yesterday in Turkey – when a mass of people takes to the streets and yells 'death to Israel' and we don't hear even one word of hesitation from the political elite – it's unbearable," he said. "We take the other side's behavior as normal and we are the ones who need to restrain ourselves? Maybe we will even be asked to bring back the British Mandate?" Lieberman asked.
On the peace process with the Palestinians, Lieberman said: "Things are clear. The state of Israel did the maximum to talk. For us [the Yisrael Beiteinu party], it was difficult to accept the Bar Ilan speech and the settlement freeze, but we accepted those things. And what was the end result? I think that we've given our part and if the Palestinians want to talk, we'll welcome them. After Annapolis and the evacuation of Gush Katif, I think we need to operate with common sense."