Israel’s next Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu – leader of the right-wing Likud party and staunch opposer of the two-state solution – has just about finished assembling his government. His coalition now includes the right-wing racist Avigdor Lieberman and Ehud Barak, leader of the centre-left Labour party – a combination that must surely make Netanyahu favourite for this year’s “Weirdest Team-up” award.
Lieberman, leader of the extreme right-wing nationalist party “Israel is our home”, has been appointed Foreign Minister. Foreign minister. This is a man who campaigned on a platform of forcing Israeli Arabs to sign loyalty oaths; a man so opposed to any concessions to Palestinians that in 2003 he reacted to a commitment made by Ariel Sharon to give amnesty to approximately 350 Palestinian prisoners by opining that “It would be better to drown these prisoners in the Dead Sea if possible, since that’s the lowest point in the world”. In January 2009, during Israel’s military operation in Gaza, Lieberman argued that Israel “must continue to fight Hamas just like the United States did with the Japanese in World War II. Then, too, the occupation of the country was unnecessary”… Yes, that’s right. He’s referring to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Oh, and he’s also under investigation for corruption and has been convicted of beating up a twelve year old boy. Even “The New Republic” editor Marty Peretz – a vocal member of the Pro-Israel lobby – has denounced Lieberman, calling his party a “neo-fascist” outfit and the man himself a “certified criminal” who is “the Israeli equivalent of Jorg Haider of Austria and Jean-Marie LePen”.
The idea of Lieberman being the face of Israel’s diplomacy is the kind of thing that makes you wonder whether the Joker from Batman is controlling Israel’s foreign policy. This guy is going to negotiate peace with the Arab governments of the middle east? You’re kidding, right? I can’t wait to see what kind of reception he gets in Europe!
What about yesterday’s entry of the centre-left Labour party into the new government, including the appointment of its leader Ehud Barak (pictured, with Hillary Clinton) as Defence Minister? Labour was split right down the middle on whether this is a good idea – seven of its 13 MPs opposed joining Netanyahu’s coalition and the vote of Labour’s central committee was a fairly narrow victory for its leader: 680-570. Barak claimed that they would not serve as anyone’s fig-leaf and they would “ensure there will not be a narrow right-wing government, but a real government that looks after the State of Israel”. However opponents of the coalition within Labour felt that this was simply an unprincipled grab for power on Barak’s behalf; a case of being “bought off with portfolios and empty promises”.
