Former Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon told the Saudi newspaper Elaph in an interview on Sunday that there is currently no possibility of reaching a permanent agreement with the Palestinian Authority (PA).
The two sides, said Ya'alon, should cooperate on security and economic issues, while increasing the isolation and pressure on Hamas. He accused PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas of not being serious about peace.
"Abbas is evading responsibility and disappointing those who are trying to help him like Egypt and Saudi Arabia," Ya'alon told the newspaper.
Referring to the situation along Israel's border with Lebanon, the former Defense Minister said that Iran was directing the goings on in Lebanon.
"There is no such country as Lebanon. The decisions there are made by the Iranians, not by the president of the state or Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah. If Iran wants war, then Lebanon will fight and its citizens will suffer,” stressed Ya'alon.
Ya'alon denied that Israel was helping rebel groups in Syria, amid recent reports that Israel has been regularly supplying Syrian rebels with cash, food, fuel and medical supplies.
Regarding the strengthening of relations with moderate Arab states, the former Defense Minister said that both sides have an interest in doing so.
