World wary of Lieberman, Solana to meet him

Knesset Member Avigdor Lieberman's imminent addition to the government is causing concern across the globe. International media is reporting extensively on the Israel Our Home chairman's worldview.

European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana arrived for a visit in the Middle East Wednesday and intends to meet regional leaders, among them Lieberman.

Like Solana, foreign newspapers are also trying to figure our Lieberman. Most reports refer to him as "a member of the extreme right", "a political hawk who supports settlement expansion" and annexation of lands for Israel and opposes a compromise with the Palestinians.

Some of the broadcasts utilized quotes by various Arab MKs, who called him a racist and a fascist.

Some reports, such as that in the New York Times, recount Lieberman's statement comparing the Arab MKs who met with Hamas and Hizbullah operatives to Nazi collaborators and expressing hope that they would meet the same end as the defendants of the Nuremberg trials.

Reducing Arab residents in Israel

Most reports mention Lieberman’s plan to exchange territories as a possible indication as to the direction he will attempt to lead the government. The New York Times clearly says that the plan is aimed at reducing the number of Arab residents in the country, even those with Israeli citizenship.

Arab Knesset Member Ahmad Tibi told the NY Times, “This is a man who calls for the transfer of Arab citizens out of Israel, and he is being upgraded, not downgraded. This sends a message to the Arab minority in Israel that it is legitimate to talk about expelling us form the country.”

The rest of the world is worried that the future of the peace process with the Palestinians will be in danger once Lieberman joins the coalition, and especially since Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has frozen plans for realignment pursuant to the war in Lebanon.

The New York Times quoted Lieberman's statements from the March 2006 elections, in which he declared, "I don't believe at the moment in any compromise with the Palestinians".

Internal politics override peace process 

The newspapers explained that Lieberman's addition to the government follows Olmert's dive in public opinion surveys, following the war in Lebanon and the ongoing fighting in Gaza.

The move, they say, is intended to stabilize Olmert's shaky coalition, a step that they interpret as showing that Olmert is more concerned with internal politics than with advancing the peace process.

Newspapers mainly quoted responses from Israeli analysts who claim that adding Lieberman to the coalition is perilous. Hebrew University political science professor Zeev Sternhell warned that Lieberman may be "the most dangerous politician in our political history."

"He is a "cocktail of national, authoritarianism, and dictatorial mentality" and unlike other right-wing figures, he was not marginalized, Sternhell explained. "I cannot forget that Mussolini came to power with only 30 members of parliament," he added.

Dangerous person

Other analysts claim that adding Lieberman to the coalition with moderate his current stance. The Israel Institute for Democracy told the Toronto Star that Lieberman, despite his extreme views, may be far less harmful if in the government, because he will be forced to become pragmatic.

Some analysts addressed Lieberman's future post, as the minister in charge of handling the Iranian threat. "On one hand, I think Lieberman's message to Iran is the right one," Hebrew University Professor Avraham Diskin told the Toronto Star.

"I want them to rethink the situation and be frightened," he added. "But the problem is he scares me as well. I think he is a dangerous person. I'm not sure he's cautious and balanced enough for the job."

In this context, several newspapers quoted Science, Technology, Culture, and Sports Minister Ophir Pines-Paz as saying that placing Lieberman in charge of strategic threats is a joke, given that he himself is a strategic threat.