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Barak Speaks On Arab Television
DOHA (IslamOnline) - In his first interview for Arab television, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak asserted his refusal for the repatriation of Palestinian refugees into Israel and the Occupied Territories, stressing "Israeli right of dominance" over al-Aqsa mosque.
"We are ready to negotiate for peace, but we're not ready to pay any price for peace," Barak said in a live interview with the Gulf-based al-Jazeera satellite channel.
"You all know that al-Aqsa is a holy site for all Jews who perform their prayers there many times a day," he said, affirming that, "Israeli control would grant us freedom of religious practice."
"We are ready to live peacefully with the other party, but if we have to struggle, we will struggle," Barak stated.
Barak then blamed the Palestinian Authority for not halting the Intifada, claiming it was responsible for the eruption of clashes in the region.
He also criticized Egypt's decision to recall its Israeli ambassador, and signaled out Israel's wish to have peaceful ties with its Arab neighbors.
As for extreme right wing leader and Barak's political foe, Ariel Sharon, and his candidacy in upcoming elections, Barak said that the difference between the right and the left in Israel is the same difference between war and peace.
"It 's unfair to make any comparisons between Sharon and I …for I am calling for peace… that's the difference between the right wing and the left wing in Israel," he said defensively.
After Barak's interview, al-Jazeera hosted three prominent Palestinian figures to comment on the interview.
The editor-in-chief of the London-based Jerusalem Daily, a leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas and the head of the Palestinian National Council criticized Barak's claims for peace while the Gaza strip is suffering under an economic, medical and military siege.
Moreover, the Palestinian guests criticized even having the interview, fearing it might provide propaganda for Israeli viewpoints and principles.
Al-Jazeera has previously hosted other notable Israeli figures, leading Egyptian intellectuals to label it the "Israeli Jazeera channel".
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