US can’t force Israel to do anything: ex-official

Former Director General of the Israeli Foreign Ministry Alon Liel said there was no international pressure whatsoever on Israel regarding the Palestinian issue and even the U.S. does not have the ability to force Israel to do anything.

Liel said the Israeli public was very much against a formal apology to Turkey, so there is not even a debate in Israel about whether they should apologize. “It is unbelievable to see the inability of the U.S. to put pressure on a country like Israel. The whole world is against settlements, but we still go on, we don’t feel any American pressure,” Liel said. “If we don’t solve the Palestinian issue, we will be isolated from the world,” Liel said. Liel stated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has to make a U-turn in order to change his policy toward the Palestinian issue. Liel also said both Israel and Turkey have a role in the way the relations between the two countries proceed. “What is happening with Turkey is not only about Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s personality or his willingness to be a regional leader, but it has a lot to do with what Israel is doing. The policy of Netanyahu is not the same as the policy of Sharon and Olmert,” Liel said.