for incitment and when you can be arrested for thought crimes when they "think" you are going to do something. How is it a democracy when parties like Arab parties can spill the nasiest anti zionist stay in the government bjut a party like Kach was kicked out? How can it be that you are banned from the airwaves if you are a religious Jew ala Arutz7?

I call your writing an "opinion piece" because it stands in contrast to a "fact piece." Do you understand that you barely include a single fact anywhere in your statement? At best, you stylize a few facts in the paragraph "The similarities..." Honestly, try a little harder next time. If you really believe Lieberman "is a fascist" then you should have ample evidence to support your charges. Go for it! I encourage you to challenge him. You just have one problem: no facts. And I can't wait for you to bring up his population transfer ideas! Alan Dershowitz (a liberal by any stretch) supported those very ideas before Lieberman proposed them!

then it will become an Islamic country governed by Sharia. Same goes for Holland and Belgium and maybe Spain. Let's see how they handle it ?! The world has changed and democracies must change. We now have Islam doing its upmost to take over the free world. Silly to carry on talking as if all is as it was. Time for the writer to wakeup and smell the coffee.

i'm not a labour voter but i can't understand their politic !! how can the labour party can seat at the same table of a facsist party ? that kind of kitchen can be seen only in israel !! labour party have lost his credibility in front of their voters !!

What has he done, is using your vocal cords a crime, he hasnt done anything! You call him a fascist, look at yourself trying to stop the democratic process and the freedom of speech.

Lieberman is not racist or fascist for believing that citizens have to be loyal to their state. And he is not a threat to Israel's almost-non-existant democracy. Some 95% of the Knesset consists of unelected officials who only got there because they were members of an elected official's party, and hense got on a party list.

They are scared of him like they were scared of Begin. It challenges the left's monopoly over Israel. Even Ben Gurion did all he could to sqash Begin so there would be no competition. That's why his party ruled Israel for over 20 years. The left was foolish and thought they brought Olmert to their side. LIttle did they know he was only an opportunist, neither left nor right. Now the left has put out an AP bulletin enlisting their sympathetic friends in the press to villify Lieberman. This is like the 10th anti-Lieberman article on YNEt in days -I wonder if my post will even get printed?

The left likes to call political opponents "fascists" instead of debating them on the merits. Name calling will not solve Israel's problems, Mr. Gutwein.

Fascism has no scientific definition. However if one were look at the sociological and political literature on the subject (much of it not written by leftists) a picture of fascism emerges with a fairly agreed upon set of characteristics, some scholars agreeing on all some on some... among them are: a rhetoric of hate and fear at a class or group labeled as an enemy of the state a glorification of a strong powerful state as the embodiment of the national destiny contempt for the judiciary, the rule of law and minority rights an overemphasis on the concept of "folk" often described in tribal/genetic terms lip service to the formalities of democratic proceedures while undertaking a systematic subversion of the spirit of democracy a charismatic leader who embodies the message of hate and suspicion Mr. Lieberman -J'accuse!!!

Lieberman is SMART. He is joining the coalition "on the cheap." Instead of taking ministries to hand out favors, he positioned himself to be the shadow government that you described. Why is this smart? Peretz CAN'T leave, because his ministers are drunk with corruption by handing out favors from ministries. He will sit in a rightward shifting government that repudiated why Labor joined to hold portfolios. When Lieberman decides to bolt, he'll have nothing holding him there. He doesn't have ministries to hand out favors, so he stays above the corruption. Right now, elections would bring him seats, but Likud more. He'll force elections when he looks like the national savior. Peretz is stuck, because Labor won't give up the lavish favors, despite the government clearly pushing to the right. Nothing will happen on "social justice" now, the budget is heavily influenced by right-wing ideas, which won't change with Lieberman, and continuing this government will continue to undermine Labor's goals. Lack of ideology and only a desire for power and the public purse destroyed Labor, Likud, and now Kadima... only in Kadima's case, it will be after one freak term where they grabbed the PM's office, then drift into a big mess of corruption.

Israel biggest problem beside, usual conflict, is the corruption of the government, knesset , law enforcement and local authorities, overblown and inefficient administration, unstable government and selfish political parties. Israel need a strong leader to clean her government. Unfortunately Lieberman is not fitting. He has bizarre and unrealistic political programme and he is tainted by allegation of criminal connections. Israel need a leaded who can unify people, not divide them more.

Democracy was suitable for the 20th century, but has been hijacked, exploited, cultivated and exposed in modern politics. Left or Right? Why can't we have both? Not an opportunistic that says what people wants to hear and does whatever pleases majority. These people are jellyfish, mercineraries for the highest bidder, with no conscious, no soul, no loyalty. Left wingers, idealistically and from 1960-2000 were seen as good, open, peacefully, for the working man, traditional, looking out for rights and privilages, now they are too politically correct, which is a danger to say so now adays, they fund too many lobby groups, minorites, freedoms of speech, yet harbour incitement, remove tradition to appease newcomers, and slowly tear down the pinnacle of society that there earlier generation created. Left wing governments can be influenced and scared too easily from minority groups, human rights watchers, tribunals, the same groups they promote and fund with taxpayer money, they are more easily joined and more easily hijacked for whoever can spiel the most bleeding heart rhetoric. Right wing governments, capitalization, corporate tax breaks, big business, tight security, big brother is watching attitude. They eliminate rights, provide for an almost tyrannical approach to governing. They are usually harder to join, harder to move up in and consist of an "old boys club" mentality of the who's who, the have's and the have nots. They create prosperity, mostly at the expense of others, retain tradition, relinquish government control to corporations because they are harder to join, and easier to stay in once you arrive. Democracy is a funny question. Islam attacks our democracies by stating human rights issues and abuses, free speech, then charge us with incitement over the same issues, demand respect for them, while being intolerable to us, and western ways. But what really is democracy, the right to vote, we vote for parties, that are unofficially rich funded street gangs with educations and expensive suits. Parties have platforms, that members must adhere to, whether they believe it is right or not, Can't go against the party. So you don't vote for people you vote for party platforms, so in turn there is not much choice. Left or Right, or some appeaser / opportunistic fellow that does no people good. So in reality we vote for parties, entities that have grown so big they are practically above the law, sure they can be prosecuted, but only members, the party remains, there image tarnished till the next election or election after that or some think tank comes up with a public ploy to retain social favour for that party once again. What we need is an elimination of parties, only independent, limited funded candidates for smaller constituencies. They can have left and right ideas depending on the issue at hand, they can represent there constituents demands and not appease third party groups or there own parties agenda, government majorities won't be able to pass laws by forcing member votes. Every constituent has a say, and it's elected member will be accountable. They will only represent there constituents and only answer to them,

I hate to burst Danny's bubble, but Israel is NOT a democracy. Perhaps it is for the left and far left and even for the Arab inciters. But for the Jewish nationists-both religious and secular-it is already a fascist state. How else can one explain the stripping of normal protest measures before the expulsion, the encircling of protestors in barbed wire ! in Kfar Maimon last summer, the throwing off of buses and blocking of buses of those wishing to demonstrate etc, etc? How exactly are those actions part of a democracy? The word democracy is so overused and misunderstood that it has become meaningless. Perhaps compared to the Arab cesspools Israel is a freer country, but certainly not a democracy.

Dear Danny Gutwein, Viva liberman, please let him in cabinet, I wish that he get a good ministry like ministry of defence or internal security, I even want a new elections were he dont only the 20 seats in kenest as expected if election are today, i wish it will be 61 seats, full power, you know why? I want to prove to all his supporters that he can do nothing politiclly, not him, not any other leader, since march 06 I didnt hear from him anything about um elfahem or arab transfer, and he was in previous goverments he did nothing, the story of em alfahem was a sales story for election, this man have his special agenda, russian mafia supported him for it interest, and now maybe they are planing merger between russian mafia and olmert and local mafia, sure that this man is bad for jew, only jews will be harmed from what allowed for him to do, Israel policy no local leader can change in it, because it made in USA, who sponsered israel, wishing a progress of liberman, but too bad i am sure its too early for him to enter government, he must wait, this wrong dicision will decrease his popularity, because people will see the bad results, he must wait for next election so he can guaranty more seats in kenest before burning himself in goverment!!!!!!!

As weird as this may sound I wish somebody will investigate Liebermans connection with the Russian secret service or the Russian maffia. Remember Shabtai Kalmanowitz ?

The policy of accusing, tapping and investigating everyone who is willing to sacrifice his/her private life for the chance to make political impact doesn’t leave to the most contestants any moment of spying for another country or being involved in any kind of mafia connections. These accusations are coming from the stereotype views of Russian Israelis. Why the accusations are always coming (coincidently or not) at the moment of the biggest challenge? Sharon had it all. His own son went to jail for helping his father to be potent financially. Would you accuse Sharon a fascist? For some he is a criminal, for others a hero. But he had a most needed charisma. Today there is no other leader like Lieberman in the Israeli political echelon having charismatic fresh and strong views. He needs a chance. And smart but uncharismatic Olmert understands it perfectly. Perets swallowed the pill alone with most laborers. To accuse Lieberman of spying for Putin means do not understand how much Lieberman hates everything about KGB and Soviets. The polar political platforms of the parties in Kadima coalition just another reason to conform: Israel is fighting the multi headed enemy.

The garbage that has been going down lately in Israel surely has GOD disappointed.. Remember, in GODS eyes Israel is very important... Olmert will be gone soon... not sure on Netanyahu... But either Israel follows GODS will or else... Good on you...

He will cause labor to leave the coalition and then we will have elections.. Its going to be Likud whoever the leader is.. Israel has been very disappointing lately......

God will punish those responsible for soiling Israels reputation.. Israel is special. Israel needs to move back to God not to the left.. Likud has it right.. Im open for offers where is the group that can improve on Likud..

...then so are all the proponents of a dismantling of Jewish communities. Or why should Israel live with Arabs who consider themselves 'Palestinians' while 'Palestine' will be 'judenrein'?