Controversial Israeli minister in the Hague
Israel’s controversial foreign affairs minister Avigdor Lieberman is in the Hague on Wednesday to thank the Netherlands for supporting Israel in the UN, the NRC reports.
Lieberman, who leads Israel’s ultra-nationalist Israel Beiteinu party, will also hold talks with foreign minister Maxime Verhagen. The talks will focus on the Middle East peace process, human rights, bad living conditions in the Gaza strip and Iran’s nuclear programme, the paper says.
According to the Israeli embassy in the Hague, Lieberman will also thank Verhagen for supporting Israel during a recent UN human rights council debate. The Netherlands joined the US and four other countries in voting against a motion condemning Israel’s actions during the recent Gaza war.
A group of Israelis who live in the Netherlands known as the Gate48 foundation are planning to demonstrate against the visit.
The Netherlands is one of the few countries in Europe where Lieberman is still welcome, the paper says.
Last month, Lieberman cast a shadow over US efforts to revive the Middle East peace process when he said there is no chance of an early solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and told people to ‘learn to live with it’.
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