These are just a few of the positions that could put former bar bouncer Avigdor Lieberman at odds with the military he now commands. Netanyahu has called for direct, bilateral negotiations between his country and the Palestinians.
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The last round of U.S.-brokered peace talks broke down in 2014 and U.S., European Union and United Nations officials have become increasingly uncertain about whether Mr. Netanyahu is committed to a two-solution to the conflict.
Palestinian assailants have killed some 30 Israeli civilians and soldiers in more than 300 attacks since September, one of the worst periods of violence between the two sides in decades, according to Israel’s foreign ministry.
“This raises legitimate questions about the direction it may be heading in and what kind of policies it may adopt”, Toner told reporters.
In the de facto Palestinian capital, the West Bank city of Ramallah and seat of the Palestinian Authority, Lieberman’s frankness means it will be trickier for Netanyahu to don a mask of moderation.
Yesh Atid blasted the new coalition deal signed on Wednesday with Yisrael Beytenu as a move that “gave up on principles in exchange for seats” in the government’s thin ruling majority.
“Since the government was established a year ago, I sought time after time to widen the government”, Netanyahu said Wednesday at the signing of the coalition agreement.
“I am committed to promoting the peace process”.
In a more serious vein, the Soviet-born 57-year-old struck a conciliatory note, emphasizing “a strong commitment, to the peace, to the final status agreement (with the Palestinians)”. Indeed, his supporters point out, he’s said that he’d be willing to evacuate his home in the West Bank settlement of Nokdim if a real peace were in the offing.
In 2014, he called Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas a “diplomatic terrorist”.
At a ceremony marking their alliance Wednesday, both Netanyahu and Lieberman attempted to send messages of moderation.
Lieberman also appeared smoother than ever in the joint press conference with Bibi, saying he would pursue a “responsible and reasonable” policy. It requires Yisrael Beytenu to adhere to decisions made by Netanyahu as communications minister, so the party will not be able to support a bill that would limit the pro-Netanyahu newspaper Israel Hayom.
Even with this shift further to the right, Netanyahu insists his support for a two-state solution has not waned. This government “will naturally have as consequences apartheid, racism and religious and political extremism”, he added.
Lieberman’s invitation last week to join the government surprised political analysts as it came in the midst of protracted negotiations with Israel’s opposition leader, Isaac Herzog. “He is inciting against the Arab citizens”. The parliament’s website says he only reached the low rank of corporal, and he reportedly had only a brief career working in an army warehouse.
He has angered neighboring Egypt with comments in the past, including a suggestion that Israel bomb Egypt’s Aswan Dam. “I worked with the foreign media, and if I spent my time correcting all the inaccurate statements about him, I would never have slept”, he says.
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“And politically, Lieberman needs to present himself seriously as a candidate for Prime Minister in the future – to do that he has to be more moderate, not more extreme”.
