He became a national figure in 1996 as a top aide to Netanyahu in a previous term as prime minister. Twenty-eight Israelis have been killed in the same time period.
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Lieberman’s aggressive posture in all things made him one of the least effective Israeli Foreign Ministers in history, forcing Netanyahu to run global diplomacy out of the prime minister’s office instead, and many are predicting his new post as defense minister will be even more disastrous, given his tendency to call for mass executions.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, with Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon at Netanyahu’s office in Jerusalem, Nov. 15, 2015.
According to reports in Israeli press, Netanyahu called Yaalon on Thursday to tell him to ignore media speculation about Lieberman, insisting that nothing was set in stone, although it appears Yaalon chose to jump ship before he was pushed. “I can not urge my children to stay here, because it is a place that is not nice to be in”, he said in his monologue, going on to name a number of far-right politicians.
It comes amid moves by Mr Netanyahu to bring hardliner Avigdor Lieberman and his party into the ruling coalition, likely offering him the defence post. With Palestinian-Israeli peace efforts moribund, Lieberman’s addition to the government would push any hopes of reviving talks dashed further.
Herzog, whose party forms the Zionist Union along with the centrist Hatnuah, could present a possible coalition agreement to his party in the coming days, the reports said.
By contrast, Lieberman – whose appointment has not yet been confirmed – is inexperienced militarily and famed for his past hawkish talk against Palestinians, Israel’s Arab minority and Egypt – an important regional security partner for Israel. Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank are on edge too.
Israel’s departing defence minister has denounced the “extremist and unsafe elements” which “have overrun Israel and the Likud party” as he left office.
Netanyahu sought to quell the rising criticism at a new conference on Sunday, describing himself as in charge and as having the nation’s interests at heart. “I’m looking out for the country’s future. I hear a lot of voices; many things are said in politics”, he said.
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Many Israelis have questioned the wisdom of appointing Lieberman to the sensitive post of defense minister over Yaalon, a former army chief of staff who is generally respected for his knowledge of military affairs. “Such a decision is extremely risky – Liberman, who has called for the beheading of Palestinians and for their transfer outside the state of Israel, is a serious threat to peace and stability, and his appointment will generate a culture of lawlessness, extremism, violence, and hate in Israel”. Until then, Netanyahu will hold the post. “Israeli society is a health society and the sane majority yearns for a Jewish, democratic, liberal state – a state that accepts any person without regard of religion, race, gender, ethnic origin or sexual orientation”. It resulted from the need to expand the government so as to bring stability to the State of Israel given the great challenges it faces.
