Avigdor Lieberman

(JTA) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu distanced himself from his foreign minister’s plan that would transfer Israeli Arab towns to a future Palestinian state in exchange for annexing Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Avigdor Lieberman offered a draft of his proposal Tuesday to the United Nations General Assembly in New York. It would redraw the borders of Israel to include several large Jewish settlements in the West Bank and exclude large Israeli Arab towns, which would become part of a newly created Palestinian state.

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- A comprehensive peace between Israel and the Palestinians is "an unattainable goal," Israel's foreign minister said.

Avigdor Lieberman called instead for a long-term interim agreement on Sunday during a Yisrael Beiteinu party event to welcome Rosh Hashanah.

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said his Israel Beiteinu party will not leave the government, despite several disagreements.

During a news conference Monday, Lieberman did criticize Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for not having more consideration for his largest coalition partner. Israel Beiteinu has 15 seats in the current government, the second largest party in Netanyahu's coalition.

Netanyahu and Lieberman were scheduled to meet later Monday to hash out their disagreements in private.

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he opposes a proposed conversion bill, which "could tear apart the Jewish people."

Netanyahu made the comments Sunday at the regular Cabinet meeting.

The bill, which has been roundly condemned by the Reform and Conservative movements in the United States, Israel and in other countries in the Diaspora because it centralizes conversion in the hands of the Orthodox Rabbinate, could come up for a first reading this week.

There’s a terrific revival of Arthur Miller’s “Incident At Vichy,” opening this week at the Beckett Theater, about a roomful of people picked up by the Nazis for “questioning.” Most of the suspects wonder why, for all their individual innocence, they were picked off the street. Perhaps, each figures, if they would carry themselves a certain way, if they only had a chance to explain. At the end of the bench sits an “old Jew” (as he’s called in the script), as obvious as his beard and black hat.