Israeli minister: peace will take years

JERUSALEM, Oct. 12 (UPI) -- A peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians could take years to achieve, Israel's Minister of Strategic Affairs Moshe Ya'alon said.

"There is no chance in the coming years for a peace agreement with the Palestinians," Ya'alon told Israeli Army Radio in an interview Tuesday.

The former chief of staff said he was pessimistic over the outcome of the stalled talks and said the Palestinians are not interested in having Israel as a neighboring state.

"In the eyes of the Palestinians, the occupation started in '48 and not in '67. It is not only Hamas that thinks this way, but also Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. They need to be released from this delusion, from not recognizing Israel as the home of the Jewish people, and from their readiness to agree that an agreement will be the end of all mutual claims," he said.

Last month, Israel's foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman voiced similar sentiments concerning peace talks with the Palestinians, The Jerusalem Post said. "The best or most realistic goal would be an interim agreement or solution with a long time frame," the newspaper quoted him saying.