Lieberman made the comments when speaking to Israel`s Channel 2 news in New York, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings.
Lieberman, a radical in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu`s cabinet, said that Israel had no choice but to press ahead " without paying attention, and without making threats."
The minister defended Netanyahu`s government, saying this administration has offered initiatives to the Palestinians since "day one."
He said that Netanyahu offered a two-state solution, stopped settlement construction for 10 months, removed checkpoints, and gave assistance to the Palestinian economy.
The Palestinian authority, Lieberman concluded, had ignored these gestures.
He said much of Abbas` speech was devoted to detailing how settlements have scuttled the peace process.
In his reaction to Abbas` speech, Israeli opposition leader Tzipi Livni said Abbas had clearly enlisted world opinion behind his cause to the detriment of Israel`s international standing.
Speaking to Channel 2 following Abbas` speech, Livni urged Netanyahu to work to get world opinion behind Israel.
Netanyahu must work to renew negotiations and not merely speak at the United Nations in order to advance Israel`s interests, he said.
Addressing an annual high-level session of the General Assembly Friday, Abbas lashed out at Israel`s settlement activities in occupied Palestinian territories, saying the policy of building settlements is "the primary cause for the failure of the peace process" and threatens the survival of the Palestinian National Authority.
In his speech, Abbas also called on the United Nations to admit an independent Palestinian state as a full member based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
He also urged Israel to "come to peace" and vowed the Palestinians were ready to return to peace talks if Israeli settlement activities cease.
The direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians stalled in October 2010, when Israel declined to renew a moratorium on its settlement building.
Minutes before his speech, Abbas formally presented the Palestinian statehood bid to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The application would be passed to the UN Security Council, where it would face a vote. Several countries in the council have pledged their support for the statehood bid, but Israel`s close ally the United States has indicated that it would use its veto power in the council to stop it.
If the bid fails in the Security Council, the Palestinians could take their bid directly to the General Assembly to attain the lesser status of non-member observer state. At the assembly, the Palestinians has widespread support and the measure would likely pass by vote because there is no veto power.
(U.C003)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
