In her meeting in New York (Tuesday, 25 September) with her Egyptian counterpart, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Tzipi Livni said that the latest developments turn the events on the West bank into a test case. The success of the process can be measured on the West Bank, and in order for it to succeed, the smuggling of arms and money from Egypt into the Gaza Strip must be stopped.
FM Livni met also with Emir Hamad bin Khalifa of Qatar, at the Emir's invitation. Livni told him that the moderate Arab states have a central role to play in advancing the political process wtih the Palestinians, and that the moderate states in the Arab world must strengthen their bilateral contcts with Israel in order to gradually advance normalization in face of the strengthening of the extremists in the Middle East.
In reaction to the address by Iranian President Ahmadinejad to the UN General Assembly, FM Livni said:
"We decided not to be part of Ahmadinejad's audience in his efforts to win legitimacy for his distorted opinions. He should not have been given the floor from the outset, and the particular setting or packaging of his appearances or his specific words are irrelevant. We know who he is and what he represents, and there is no room for him in the community of nations. Israel will continue to reveal his true positions and to thwart his plans, which pose a threat to the entire world."