Livni Calls for Normalization, End to ‘Nakba’
(IsraelNN.com) Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni called on Arab delegates to the Annapolis conference to normalize ties with Israel and give up the term “Nakba” (Disaster) to describe the reestablishment of Jewish sovereignty in the region. Livni spoke of the “thousands of years” of history tying Jews to Israel, and spoke in support of an Arab state within Israel’s 1967 borders as well.
Livni said that while Israel would benefit from normalizing relations with Arab countries, it would not pay for recognition. “I have heard those who say that Israel must pay for a normalization of ties with Arab states,” she said. “That concept, where normalization is a prize of sorts... is a mistake.” Normalization would benefit Arab states as well, she said.