On Sunday, the Security Cabinet meeting, usually held in the mornings, was postponed until the afternoon. Some ministers did not rule out the possibility that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needed a few more hours to cook up some complicated diplomatic maneuver. The idea was not to make do with just the deal to free Ilan Grapel and Ouda Tarabin from Egyptian jails, but to achieve something even greater for Israel, even at the expense of halting construction in the settlements, as well as involving Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in putting together a list of 550 Palestinian prisoners to be freed. But the Prime Minister's Office broke off contact with the senior ministers, and the latter were not aware of what was going on, although they remained on guard for surprises. It is possible that Egypt's role in the release of Gilad Shalit and Grapel has improved the atmosphere along the Israel-Egypt axis, but it is difficult to tell if this is a meaningful change or just a fleeting moment of cooperation. The Arab Spring that rocked the previous Arab regimes strengthened the Islamic party on Monday in Tunisia, and is threatening to install Sharia -- Islamic religious law -- in Libya. In this type of Arab League, peace based on moderation and compromise is not a coin simply tossed to the next Middle East merchant. It's another sign indicating that Abbas is not interested in negotiations with Israel. As is his way, Abbas still speaks about peace, but does not pursue it, or do anything to achieve it. Every few weeks we are witness to fresh evidence that Abbas has built his career on avoiding peace. The latest evidence was delivered recently by former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who revealed in her book how desperate former U.S. President George W. Bush was to get Abbas to approve then Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's generous peace plan. According to Rice, the president beseeched Abbas, to no avail. Abbas knew that the issue was all of Judea and Samaria, with some land swaps, but he turned down the offer, not because of the sovereign territory that would have been placed under his control, but because he refused to recognize Israel as a Jewish state. To keep Israel at bay, Abbas prefers the tactics of political maneuvers over violent confrontations, which is bad for Israel, because he has succeeded in obtaining growing international support, even among members of the Security Council who promised to vote against the unilateral Palestinian bid for statehood. On the other hand, his tactics are good for Israel since they do not involve suicide bombers and other terrorist acts. Based on this, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's denunciation of Abbas, and his belief that there is no value in negotiations as long as Abbas is Palestinian Authority president, is inappropriate and irresponsible. Would Lieberman prefer to do business with Khaled Mashaal, Ismail Haniyeh or Ahmed Jabari, who are all anti-peace and would be glad to free Lieberman from the peace process altogether? Nothing strengthens the hands and tongues of those who wish evil upon Israel more than statements of the kind made by Lieberman. Israel is not interested in having countries discredit its legally elected leaders. That's why it shouldn't allow its foreign minister to demand the ousting of the Palestinian leader. What is hateful to you, don't do to your friends, neighbors, and enemies.
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