Barak: Let Palestinians rule themselves

Israel must let the Palestinians rule themselves, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said.

In a Memorial Day interview with Israel Radio, Barak also expressed concern over the rift between Israel and the United States over settlement policy.

“The world isn’t willing to accept, and we won’t change that in 2010, the expectation that Israel will rule another people for decades more,” Barak said.

“There is no other way, whether you like it or not, than to let them rule themselves,” he said, referring to an independent Palestinian state.

Barak said that restarting peace talks with the Palestinians could go a long way to repairing the relationship between Israel and the United States. “The growing alienation between us and the United States is not good for Israel,” Barak said.

Barak also said that Iran currently does not pose an existential threat to Israel, but could in the future.

“Right now, Iran does not pose an existential threat to Israel. If Iran becomes nuclear, it will spark an arms race in the Middle East,” Barak said.

“The region is important to the entire world. The fact that Iran is not an immediate threat, but could evolve into one, means that we can’t let ourselves fall asleep.”