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Israeli minister reportedly accuses Kerry of being messianic

Israel Materials 14 January 2014 16:09 (UTC +04:00)
Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon - a hardliner in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party - has described US Secretary of State John Kerry as obsessive and messianic in his determination to bring about an Israeli-Palestinian agreement
Israeli minister reportedly accuses Kerry of being messianic

Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon - a hardliner in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party - has described US Secretary of State John Kerry as obsessive and messianic in his determination to bring about an Israeli-Palestinian agreement, a newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Yaalon's spokesman would not comment on the report in Israel's biggest-selling daily, Yediot Ahronot, dpa reported.

The daily quoted Yaalon as saying: "The American plan for security arrangements that was shown to us isn't worth the paper it was written on.

"Kerry, who operates from an incomprehensible obsession and a sense of messianism, can't teach me anything about the conflict with the Palestinians," Yaalon, a former military chief of staff, was quoted as saying.

"The only thing that might save us is if John Kerry wins the Nobel Prize and leaves us be."

Kerry, who has made numerous trips to the Middle East since taking office, is hoping to broker a framework agreement between Israel and the Palestinians by April 30.

Kerry aims to set out a proposal for an agreement in the next few weeks, dealing with core issues of the conflict, including borders, Jerusalem, refugees and security arrangements.

Last week, Yaalon said there were "big gaps" between the sides, and that Israel wanted to continue negotiations beyond the deadline.

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