In addition to the Palestinians, Lieberman has also managed to alienate Israel’s own Arab minority, many of whom identify with their Palestinian brethren.
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For another, Liberman proposes paying Israeli Arabs to leave – a transfer policy that would undercut his hopes that Israel would no longer be an worldwide “punching bag”, as he told Al-Monitor.
Lieberman has held a number of senior Cabinet posts, including stints in the inner Security Cabinet, but he has little military experience, reaching the low rank of corporal during a brief military career decades ago. “It is a great mistake”. He will take over as defence minister – considered by many in Israel the second-highest role in the government.
“All what Netanyahu wants is to empty the French initiative of its content and take it out from its track in order to avoid any worldwide pressure on him”, Ishtaya told Xinhua. In fact, Lieberman himself lives in the West Bank settlement of Nokdim, south of Jerusalem.
Netanyahu plans to replace Yaalon with the far-right Avigdor Lieberman, who boasts he could not care less what American Jews think about how Israel is behaving and a man whom, Haaretz reported, was only recently dismissed by Bibi’s team as “a petty prattler”, unfit to be even a military analyst, and whose closest brush with a real battle was dodging a “tennis ball”.
One of his most radical ideas: negotiate holistically by making peace with the Arab world and the Palestinians simultaneously.
Mr Lieberman and his Yisrael Beitenu party will add five lawmakers to Mr Netanyahu’s previously wafer-thin majority if the deal is given parliamentary approval as expected.
Yaalon’s cautious approach to security and defense has been a target for Lieberman’s condemnation.
Bringing Yisrael Beitenu into the government coalition increases Netanyahu’s one-seat majority to six. But it risks alienating Israel’s allies overseas and the military, the country’s strongest and most important institution.
Over the years, Lieberman has angered Israel’s first Arab peace partner, Egypt. He has repeatedly voiced skepticism about pursuing peace with the Palestinians.
Privately, some US officials sound less than happy about Lieberman’s ascent. Herzog had announced last week that a previous attempt to bring his party into the government had failed. But he was one of the Cabinet’s more moderate voices and was fiercely protective of the military when it came under fire from ideologically-driven hardliners. He also worked with Sisi to support the talks.
France is pushing an worldwide peace conference and Egypt has offered to mediate between Israelis and Palestinians, but there’s no sign either side is willing to make concessions to get negotiations moving.
The Palestinians hope that the French efforts would crystallize an global coalition to sponsor the peace process based on implementing the related worldwide resolutions.
“My government remains committed to pursuing peace with the Palestinians, pursuing peace with all our neighbors”, Netanyahu said in English, appealing to an global audience.
Lieberman also appeared smoother than ever in the joint press conference with Bibi, saying he would pursue a “responsible and reasonable” policy. He spoke in English in an apparent attempt to reassure an global audience.
Lieberman for his part said, “At the end of the day my intention (is) to provide security and of course all of us we have a commitment, strong commitment, to the peace, to the final status agreement (with the Palestinians)”, said the Soviet-born party leader. “Lieberman has already caused a lot of embarrassment to Israel, and now he will be leading the army”.
Lieberman, who served as foreign minister under Netanyahu once, exited a political alliance with him in 2014, arguing that the prime minister’s response to attacks out of the Gaza Strip were not muscular enough.
Mr Lieberman said he would give Haniya 48 hours to hand over two detained Israeli civilians and the bodies of soldiers killed in a 2014 war “or you’re dead”. It is unclear how they will respond if he issues an order that the generals disagree with.
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In response, Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah accused Netanyahu of aiming at stalling time, as “the past 22 years of direct bilateral negotiations have not led to any result with Israel”.
