Engel: Israeli Foreign Minister 'Agreed' Concessions on Settlements Should Be Discussed

Unlike French president Nicolas Sarkozy, who refused to sit down with the ultranationalist Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman, and reportedly went so far as to urge Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to get rid of him, Representative Eliot Engel of New York went out of his way to arrange for a meeting with Lieberman during his visit to Washington last month.

Engel first attended a large meeting on the first floor of the Capitol with Jewish members of Congress, including Senators Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, Carl Levin of Michigan and representatives Howard Berman of California, Shelley Berkley of Nevada, and Brad Sherman of California, among others, according to Engel. Chuck Schumer, he said, was not in attendance.

But with the House in session, Engel only got to sit in on the meeting for short intervals before having to race back to the chamber to place votes. He asked for a private meeting and got some time to meet with Lieberman before an appointment with House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, in whose office they met.

"It was a good meeting; he was very pleased to hear my words," said Engel, who expressed his full-throated support for Israel's security and his view that Israel should not alone make concessions, that there shouldn't be undue emphasis put on the settlement issue and that the Palestinians must also take concrete steps towards a two-state solution.

But in a sign that the Obama administration has changed the terms of the debate with Israel, Engel also told Lieberman that if the Palestinians made concessions, Israel should as well.

"If both sides are being pressured," Engel said he told Lieberman, "I have no problem talking about settlements."

"He agreed," Engel said.  

Engel said that, because of Lieberman's broken English, the meeting was conducted in fits and starts, but, "He conveyed to me that they were willing to be flexible but that it takes two to tango."

After the 15-minute meeting, Hoyer came into the room and Engel told Lieberman that "out of all the members of Congress who are not Jewish, he is the strongest on Israel."

"'Even among those who are Jewish,'" Hoyer joked, according to Engel. Lieberman and his entourage of embassy staffers and his deputy Danny Ayalon all laughed.

Engel said he wasn't surprised about reports this week that the Netanyahu administration was open to freezing all settlement activity in the West Bank for a temporary period, an apparent bending to American pressure.

"This is always what I envisioned," Engel said. "That this government would be willing to make concessions if the Palestinians were making concessions. I believe Netanyahu is willing to begin a two-state solution, but it can't be all one-sided."