Forward Thinks Lieberman is Just what Israel Needs

In his recent article in The Forward, Roman writes that," Lieberman's core beliefs are squarely rooted in principles that most Israelis accept and that make good sense. He has expressed support for the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel as part of a final settlement, but he also maintains…that the negotiating process is based on three fundamentally erroneous assumptions: "that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the main fact of instability in the Middle East, that the conflict is territorial and not ideological, and that the establishment of a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders will end the conflict.

Although willing to trade land (including the West Bank settlement of Nokdim, where he lives) under certain conditions, , Lieberman resents the Obama administration's relentless pressure for upfront Israeli concessions, noting that two decades and more of concessions to the Palestinians "brought neither results nor solutions." He is correct that finding more things for Israel to give up, even as the cycle of Palestinian incitement and violence continues, is not the answer.

Since Lieberman grew up in poverty in the Soviet Union he feels strongly about the socioeconomic needs of Palestinians and has called for the toppling of the Hama regime in Gaza. In contrast Moshe Yaalon and Netanyahu have come to accept Hamas as a manageable problem.

Lieberman advocates the death penalty for convicted terrorists based on the premise that Palestinian terrorists today are free to murder knowing that they will one day be released in a prisoner exchange.

Lieberman is also protective of Israel's relationship with the U.S. When Bennett attacked U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's attempt to get the peace process back on track, he fired back,
"There can be disagreements among friends, but one [Israel] doesn't have to attack someone [the U.S]. When the supply of ammunition ran out during Operation Protective Edge, it was the United States that supplied it. The Americans were the ones who gave the money for Iron Dome. The United States was the one that helped us at the United Nations Human Rights Council and they prevent a lot of trouble in the Security Council with vetoes."

While the Obama administration would have preferred that Netnayahu would have stabilized his coalition by drawing in the center-left, in truth the Zionist Union is not a good choice because it is currently suffering through much internal divisiveness. "while Lieberman's MKs are expected to remain loyal. A stable, right-leaning government may have more credibility with the Israeli public than a fragile "national unity" government when it comes to making compromises for peace...

The doom-and-gloomers are right that Lieberman's appointment to the defense ministry will almost certainly be consequential. Word has it that he demanded and received assurances regarding the latitude he will have in office. But Lieberman may just be the man of consequence Israel needs right now."

קישורים:
Actually, Avigdor Lieberman Is Just What Israel Needs Right Now

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