The always struggling Israeli right-far-right coalition looks to be on the brink of falling apart once again tonight after a far-reaching speech by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman undermining virtually all the foreign policy stances of the Netanyahu government and chastizing the prime minister as “unrealistic.”
In the course of the speech, Lieberman managed to throw a monkey wrench into the prospect of rapprochement with Turkey, condemning Turks in general as “liars,” and insisted that peace with the Palestinians was not only “impossible” but was “simply forbidden.”
Netanyahu quickly issued a statement disavowing the positions, and reminding Lieberman that only the prime minister gets to define the government’s policies. It seems that much of the damage, however, has already been done.
It is hardly the first time the two have clashed openly since forming the government, and indeed Netanyahu has found himself regularly having to play the role of foreign minister and engaging in diplomatic damage control personally simply because Lieberman’s Foreign Ministry refuses to do so.
Increasingly, however, it seems the two factions are wholly incompatible, and Netanyahu is finding his coalition strained by Labor for his hawkish stances against the peace talks, and from the right by Lieberman’s faction for not being vehemently against peace on general principle.
Must be another case of "No Honor among thieves".
No honor between thieves.
I do not understand how the nation of Israel can have a person like Lieberman as foreign minister? The other stupid action is pushing for the release of J. Pollard. Both are like having a stick poked into ones eye.
HOw did the otherwise smart people of Israel because such dunce. The United States has G. Washington and valley forge and Israel has LaVon affair and J. Pollard. Image does matter and the nation of Israel is quickly become the ugly duck. Lets hope that the see the image and understand the ugly duck often is not well appreciated and treated badly. Israel still has an unholy control of our congress and senate but that can change with an ugly duck being the image of Israel. Another fiasco like Gaza or failed invasion of Lebanon and ugly duck will be the old image. What are those smart people thinking? Are they ready to give up the $15,000 per year that every Israel citizen gets from the USA taxpayers? If not then why push for return of traitor of keep people like Lieberman as foreign minister?
I do not understand how the nation of Israel can have a person like Lieberman as foreign minister? The other stupid action is pushing for the release of J. Pollard. Both are like having a stick poked into ones eye.
It's called self-righteousness and self-entitlement. They've been getting away with much more egregious things than those for almost a century now, why stop there?
Ha ha ha! Love it, love it, love it!
The jews are self-destructing just like the Amerikans are. Maybe we can have one giant, world-wide going away party for the two, Big Terrorist and Little Terrorist. Good riddance!
As for Lieberman, he is the perfect example of why an a child-abuser, ex-bouncer, drunk should never be permitted in public office, lest one wishes to engage the rest of the world in war.
I think they are similar as George W. Bush and Adolph Hitler.., same s/&%¤#"t, different bad looking, bad breath and their stupidity made possible by the capitalism – militarism economic system. They just playing the good and bad detective to scare Obama. The only language that Israel ever will understand is the total international boycotts and isolation.., otherwise is just going to be talk and talk for next 50 years to come.
at least lieberman has the dignity to say what he means and to mean what he says.
makes its easier to perceive reality for the rest of us.
Lieberman is the politician that best reflects Israel's immoral values. Thus, his choice is only logical as it is the choice of Netanyahu as PM.