She will not resign (just like Katsav) so she should be removed by force.

i'm a right winger. while i have respect for lieberman, i didn't vote for his party. There should not be any right wing voices calling for Tartman to stay just because "the left does it all the time". This is the dark logic of revenge which got us into the entire disaster of Ariel Sharon as PM. We need to be better than the left. If Tartman lied on her CV she should resign immediately! both from the tourism ministry, the knesset and yisrael beitenu. she deserves the Yossi Paritsky treatment

but , she should complete what she started, she should complete her studies ! BTW Masters level is a small stuff these days.She should get the degree and shame the man in the israeli parliament . This lady should stand up once again :)

She sounds like she would be at home with olmert and Peretz. Perhaps she should give Carter a call. I understand he has job opportunities for liars and has-beens at his Library

she is still the best person for that position that the government has to offer. I don't think she lied, first of all because she had nothing to gain from lying and second of all because it seems to me that people misunderstood her words in a very natural way. But if she did lie it would disquallify her from the job IF there was someone else as good as her to take the job. BUT THERE ISN"T. Her party is the only one in the coalition that is willing to advance Israel's point of view in the world, and given that fact we must accept her.

even when these ambitious and dangerous people are caught lying, they still persist. what does that tell you about how they may be expected to perform in their offices? the answer is with unmitigated self-interest as their primary goal.

through the binoculars while the lens cover still close and he say he sees matters clearly....the whole bunch are liars...the reputation of the israeli parliamentarians is a BIG QUESTION ?

....these bunch of perverts want to LIE about the soldiers TOO :0

Mr. Lieberman joined this evil expulsion / capitulation-government and is a party to this land give-away. He has prostituted himself and his "Israel Our Home" party for sordid partisan gain. He has betrayed the Jewish nation. He has sold himself and "Israel Our Home" in order to promote himself. He has betrayed the people and the land of Israel. Now he is embroiled in a scadal.

This looks like one of the Bush Administration appointees, no real qualifications needed except loyalty. At least with the last election, we have started the process of getting rid of this government in the U.S. Israel must do the same.

We should hold ourselves to a much higher standard. I hold Bush and the Republicans to a higher standard than the Democrats and can only say that I am utterly disappointed in them. Were Clinton doing to Israel --- expelling Jews in order to establish a Palestinian terror state --- I would be angry but I understand liberal Democrats do these things. They retreat and appease the enemy. But this is Bush doing this, not Clinton! I did not expect to see this betrayal from President Bush and the Republicans. Same holds true in Israel. Likud MKs stayed and stayed and stayed in Sharon's evil coalition, voting for funding the Gaza expulsion, etc. Netanyahu only resigned from Sharon's cabinet at the very last moment, prior to expulsion. Now Avigdor Lieberman joined this evil Kadima government as Deputy Prime Minister. Shame on the right!

...all the facts need to be checked, and then I think the charges should be dropped based solely on how attractive and older woman she is.

her enemies, the ones that have made ridiculous charges of racism, are reprehensible and they make Tartman look good. but if she falsified her academic record, she cannot take a ministerial portfolio. Israel has got to end the dishonesty and corruption that have become a feature of public life.

Tartman may or may not be qualified to be Minister of Tourism, BUT, IF SHE HAS MISREPRESENTED HER ACADEMIC RECORD, SHE HAS DISQUALIFIED HERSELF FROM HOLDING PUBLIC OFFICE. ISRAEL MUST ADOPT A POLICY OF ZERO TOLERANCE FOR DISHONESTY AND CORRUPTION (AND INCOMPETENCE)! IT IS DISGUSTING.

...Press Secretary/Spokesperson for the Bush Administration. Or perhaps her own show on FOX News.

You might like your Finnish ministers to be full of reindeer doodoo, but we Israelis don't like our ministers to be out and out blatant liars. It's is becoming clear that Tartman has lied her way through politics, did NOT get an education, and succeeded in politics until this week, when she screwed up and will hopefully flunk out. We're not casting stones here in Israel, so your phoney arguments are unwelcome. We Israelis don't want our politicians to be out-and-out liars. We like them to be more humble when they lie to us (you probably didn't hear the taped conversation on the radio today where Tartman boasts that she graduated with honors). We taxpayers here in Israel hope she'll be turfed out of the Knesset, just as any Finnish parliamentarian would be if they're discovered to be a fraud. I'm not without sin, but I sure do cast my ballot - and that's where it counts.

If anyone knows all the facts then condemn her but no one here knows dreck, except what they read from two very left wing news agencies. You will not read Erev Rav Steiner’s posts about his far left buddies like Olmert. This is a left wing witch hunt and I see the left wing is pilling on without substantial evidence or any first hand knowledge. How many of those accusing her here are used car salesman or real-estate agents? How can you call her a liar?

Read the recent release about the newly appointed tourism minister on the Israeli website. It doesn't look good.

about the truth. she only cares about her biblical prophecies to come true. the rest is just details and trivial. actually she exbihits very machievalist behavior when she supports deceit and lies when they are needed to defend Israeli atrocities. in fact since she sees Palestanians subhuman she does not care about hunderds of thousands may be millions of them living in poverty and in camps but she rushes to call suffering of jobless Jews as CRIMES against humanity. oh well I think I waste time and energy to write this much about her but once one starts one can't stop.

Ms. Tartman owes Israel some major explanation. She could ask the Knesset to appoint an ethics panel to fully investigate her academic credentials, her insurance claims, and her current functioning. If she obtained a major insurance settlement on the basis that she is limited to working 4 hour days, then she is obviously not capable of being an MK or Tourism Minister as neither are 4 hour a day jobs. If the ethics panel clears her, great! If she is just a Russian Mafia Princess, then she needs to be gone.

That was a very good and insightfull talkback. Your observation of the corrupt israeli media is totally correct .

She really does look good and that's what really counts.

There is some truth in what you write. Those of us on the right should look for honesty and fidelity to truth on the part of our leaders. There is nothing wrong with Linda taking a Biblical view on the land of Israel as she does. My problem with Mrs. Tartman's party (as Wikipedia says of Israel Beytenu), its view of the Palestinian Arabs is based on "Realpolitik," not on ethics or morals or as you say, a Biblical view. Thus, Mr. Lieberman is willing to sell himself, prostitute himself and his party, sell out Israel out for realpolitik. Not a good prescription for success. This is no basis for an honorable party. Israel Beytenu appears to be conceived in immorality.

Esterina Tartman was born in Jerusalem to an ultra-orthodox Sephardic family. Tartman is her name from marriage, her maiden name was Shabtai.

B"H On the Master's degree, it seems it should not have been said degree but rather studies. It is a one word slip, aparently. On the Bachelor's degree, it seems she was not directly responsible for the incorrect information posted, at this time on the name of the University and that she actually does have the qualificaiton of a Bachelor's degree. I think Israel Our Home has taken appropriate steps and this is basically resolved. Lieberman showed himself capable of executing judgement and consideration and that will probably help the party in the upcoming elections. He looks like a leader appropriately handling a crisis. As for the other Steve posting, there are numerous people with the name "Steve". I post, "Steve USA". We will see how this wraps up I estimate in the coming days and weeks.