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Avigdor Lieberman - branded a racist by critics - set to be foreign minister
Israel's next foreign minister looks set to be Avigdor Lieberman, the Soviet immigrant whose controversial policies have been condemned widely by the country's regional neighbours. His critics accuse him of being an Arab-hating racist but he is hailed by supporters as a strongman who will deal harshly with the state's enemies, in particular Iran, which he has threatened to bomb.Mr Lieberman has threatened to bomb a number of Israel's neighbours, including Egypt, with whom the Jewish state has a peace treaty. During a parliamentary debate last year Mr Lieberman also criticised Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's President, for never visiting the Jewish state. Egypt was the first country yesterday to warn that the appointment could cause more setbacks for the peace process. "We are standing before a negative factor that is likely to damage the peace process, "Ahmad Abul Ghait, the Foreign Minister, said during a visit to the European parliament. The appointment appeared to be on track though after Mr Lieberman's Yisrael Beitenu party, which came third in February's elections, cut a deal with Likud to form a coalition. Under the agreement Yisrael Beitenu would receive five ministerial posts, including the Foreign Ministry, which its leader is set to take. Mr Lieberman has proven a divisive figure in Israeli politics, storming to power on the back of his anti-Arab rhetoric. He has called for the bombing of Palestinian commercial centres in revenge for terror attacks inside Israel and suggested that hundreds of thousands of Israeli Arabs should forfeit their citizenship in a land swap, trading West Bank Jewish settlements for Arab areas inside the Jewish state. The Moldovan-born demagogue has also insisted that Arab Israelis - who are almost all Muslim or Christians - be forced to swear an oath of loyalty to the Jewish state and participate in national service. He has referred to Israel's Arab population - close to 20 per cent of the total - as a potential fifth column. Binyamin Netanyahu, the Likud leader and Prime Minister-designate, was nervous about handing the key portfolio to a man he sees as his main rival to the loyalty of the Israeli Right, and is still hoping for a last-minute deal with the centre-right party Kadima, whose leader Tzipi Livni is the current Foreign Minister. Many observers expect Mr Lieberman to tone down his rhetoric once in office, citing his collaboration with the outgoing Government of Ehud Olmert, which he walked out of a year before it collapsed. Posted by: Fred 2009-03-17 |
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