Far right joins Israel coalition

[sky's the limit]

Far right joins Israel coalition




Israel's Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu has signed a coalition deal with the far-right Yisrael Beiteinu party, officials say.

Under the agreement, Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman would become foreign minister, said officials from Mr Netanyahu's Likud party.

He is a strong supporter of the Israeli settler movement and opposes exchanging land for peace with the Palestinians.

Likud still needs support from other parties to form majority in parliament.

Yisrael Beiteinu would get five other cabinet posts, including internal security, infrastructure, tourism, and the integration of new immigrants.

Mr Netanyahu has also been seeking the support of the centrist Kadima party but earlier talks ended without agreement.

Kadima leader Tzipi Livni has said her party would be "a responsible opposition".

Kadima supports the formation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza, which is opposed by Likud.

Mr Netanyahu has a deadline of 3 April to form a government in the wake of elections in February.

[oneboldbaldy]

Sky,

How do you feel about that? Do you think this will bring stability for Israel and/or the Palestinians? Have you been to Israel?

baldy

[morrow]

Under the agreement, Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman would become foreign minister, said officials from Mr Netanyahu's Likud party.

He is a strong supporter of the Israeli settler movement and opposes exchanging land for peace with the Palestinians.

Actually Sky, your source, the BBC, blew that one bigtime.

From the Lebanese website http://www.almanar.com.lb/newssite/News ... anguage=en

"Lieberman surprised many of his voters when he wrote in a letter to the New York Jewish Week on Thursday (Feb 27) that he "advocates the creation of a viable Palestinian state." He also told The Washington Post that he would agree to the evacuation of his West Bank community of Nokdim "if there really will be a two-state solution."

Asked whether he had changed his mind on the Palestinian state issue, Lieberman said in the Knesset on Monday that "reality changes" and that his shift had occurred over the last few years. Lieberman accused the press of being "shallow" for not reporting dovish things he had said in the past that would challenge his image as a hawk.

"No one asked us during the campaign if we were in favor of a Palestinian state," Israel Beiteinu MK Danny Ayalon said. "The answer is yes, but for us, unlike Kadima, it's not an obsession. It's something that we would accept if all our conditions are met. We are not confusing people."

[sky's the limit]

Looks like it matters little Morrow. Since when is the BBC my "source..." Here I was thinking it was there for everyone to read.

Exchanging land for peace, and creating a Palestinian State are not the same things Morrow, you should know that.

It doesn't really matter who gets in, it all bodes poorly for the people in Gaza, and the West Bank - far too much money to be made through instability now to let it be resolved.

stl


Israel rivals 'renew coalition bid'



Officials from Israel's Likud and Kadima parties are reportedly re-examining the possibility of the two factions forming a ruling coalition.

A report in Israel's Haaretz newspaper on Saturday said that the "senior figures" from both parties had again discussed the possibility of the parties' leaders alternating as prime minister.

Tzipi Livni, Kadima's leader, had previously rejected attempts by Benyamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister-designate, to tempt her party into a coalition.

The alliance would give Netanyahu's government stronger international support because of Livni's stated commitment to the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Yoel Hasson, a senior Kadima legislator, said that the party "would be happy to renew unity talks" with Netanyahu, but on condition any joint government set Livni's goals as policy.

Coalition bid

Reports of the development emerged as Netanyahu appeared on the verge of forming a narrow government with ultra-nationalist and religious parties that would likely take a harder line on concessions to the Palestinians than Kadima.

Livni said after her last round of coalition talks with Netanyahu two weeks ago that Kadima would not sit in a coalition that was not committed to negotiations on Palestinian statehood.

"We have our stands and our principles on the diplomatic front and others and we won't budge"

Gil Messing, an adviser to Tzipi Livni
She also has said she would only join Netanyahu's government if he let her serve as prime minister for half of the government's four-year term.

Netanyahu rejected the proposal.

Dina Libster, Netanyahu's spokeswoman, said on Friday that the two camps "exchanged messages through intermediaries", but did not disclose the content of those messages.

Gil Messing, an adviser to Livni, said that although envoys from Likud party have been trying since the February 10 elections to persuade Kadima to join the government, there would be "no sit down unless Netanyahu agreed to accept Kadima's positions".

"We have our stands and our principles on the diplomatic front and others and we won't budge," Messing said.

Without Kadima, Netanyahu appears able to muster the parliamentary backing of no more than 65 legislators in the 120-seat parliament, meaning almost any member of the coalition could bring down the government in the event of a disagreement.

Netanyahu has until April 3 to piece together his government.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middl ... 56449.html

[morrow]

It doesn't really matter who gets in, it all bodes poorly for the people in Gaza, and the West Bank - far too much money to be made through instability now to let it be resolved.

stl

I agree with you stl, there won't be peace any time soon. It all bodes poorly for the people in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel.

[bmc]

"advocates the creation of a viable Palestinian state."

I wonder what that looks like. Viable by who's measure? The hard done by?

[sky's the limit]

I agree with you stl, there won't be peace any time soon. It all bodes poorly for the people in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel.

Very true Morrow, but I would venture that "poorly" for Gazans, looks many orders of magnitude worse than "poorly" for Israelis.

In the early 1990's, the Israeli business community was terrified where the constant fighting and instability was taking the economy - thus, the repeated pushing for a peace of some kind. Then, the Israeli economy took different course, and has become a worldwide leader in sales of security and surveillance equipment, consulting for protection of assets such as airports, businesses, and corporate installations. This has dramatically changed the look of the economy there, turning instability and war into a profit making exercise rather than something that would hamper economic growth.

The people running the Gov't there know this, and there just isn't any real motivation to make this stop - particularly from the Israeli "Right."

Anyway, it's coffee time.

stl

[trey kule]

Land...Settlements...Two states...

Why is nothing ever mentioned about the fact that there is apparently a bunch of oil off the Palestine coast that Israel a. wants, and b., if they cannot achieve a, does not want the Palestinians to get the revenue from.

How 'bout it folks. Do some digging

[habit]

OK, Here we go again with another Israel is the scourge of the earth thread, can we go one week without starting an anti Israel thread, I will time it starting NOW!!!

[bob sacamano]

OK, Here we go again with another Israel is the scourge of the earth thread, can we go one week without starting an anti Israel thread, I will time it stating NOW!!!

[Tubthumper]