Date:
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Foreign minister tells John Kerry that Jerusalem is ready to lend a hand
against group, though it is aware of regional sensitivities of coalition
members
BY JOSHUA DAVIDOVICH September 18, 2014, 8:12 am |The Times of Israel|
Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman pledged Jerusalem’s support for American efforts to
fight Islamic State jihadists in the region, saying in a meeting with US counterpart John
Kerry late Wednesday that Israel was engaged in the same kind of battle against
Palestinian group Hamas.
The powwow between the two in Washington came a day after Kerry wrapped up a several-day
swing through the Middle East and Europe to garner support for a coalition to thwart the Islamic
State terror group, which has seized wide swaths of land in Iraq and Syria and heightened
terror alerts throughout the world.
Liberman told Kerry that “Israel supports the US and backs its efforts to create a wide
international front in the war against the Islamic State, and is available to the US should it ask
for help in this battle,” according to a statement from Liberman’s office.
The statement also noted that Israel was “keeping in mind sensitivities within the lineup of
countries that are taking part and in coordination with US needs,” a reference to a number of
Arab countries that have vowed support for the effort.
Israel is expected to take a silent role, if any, in the fight against the jihadist group. Earlier in the
month, Reuters reported that Israel had secretly been providing the US with satellite photos of
Islamic State positions, which were then scrubbed of any features that could identify their
origins and passed on to other countries in the region.
On Sunday, Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz said Israel was unlikely to take a direct role
against the group, though if Jordan asked, it would step in.
Liberman also compared Islamic State to Hamas, the Gazan terror group Israel fought a bloody
50-day war against over the summer, telling Kerry that the battle against terror was the most
important one faced today.
“At the end of the day Islamic terror has one goal — the destruction of Western civilization,”
Liberman said according to his office, adding that only the terminology and methodology
between Hamas and Islamic State differed.
He also said that Israel should not negotiate with Hamas, despite the fact that Israel is set to
enter into indirect talks with the group in Egypt over a long-term ceasefire in Gaza.
The statement was an echo of earlier claims by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the
two groups are “separate branches of the same poisonous tree.”
However, it runs counter to the assessment of a senior IDF officer, who said Wednesday that
whereas Islamic State could not be talked to, Hamas and Lebanese terror group Hezbollah can
both be negotiated with.
“They want an uncontested religious rule, and they are opposed to anything modern or liberal,”
the officer said of the Islamic State.
The military intelligence officer said Wednesday that Israel would likely assist the global effort
against the Islamic State group if asked, but maintained that the jihadists did not pose an
immediate threat to the Jewish State
“If Israel has intelligence on IS targets in Syria, and we are asked to hand it over to the global
coalition against the organization, I believe we will do it,” the officer told Hebrew media.
During the meeting, Liberman asked Kerry to lift an American travel warning for Israel, telling
the secretary of state that there is no danger to visitors’ security since the end of the summer
military campaign in Gaza.
Adding that Israelis thought of the US as their greatest ally, Liberman also reiterated Israel’s
stance on nuclear talks between Iran and six world powers, including the US, asking Kerry to
remain firm in the talks, slated to restart Thursday, and to keep the sanctions regime in place.