(TRUNEWS) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be getting ready to form the most right-wing government in the country’s history.
Avigdor Lieberman is expected to be named defense minister. His Yisrael Beitenu party may also join the governing coalition, which would boost its majority, according to Breitbart. Right now, the group has only a slight lead in the parliament.
Lieberman said he would be willing to join the coalition if some demands were met, which include enacting the death penalty for those who launch attacks on Israel. Netanyahu’s government may be willing to heed that request.
Last month Lieberman said that if he were defense minister he would give Hamas’s Gaza leader 48 hours to release detained Israeli civilians and the bodies of soldiers killed in the 2014 war “or you’re dead”.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) sits next to Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman after delivering a statement in Jerusalem November 21, 2012. REUTERS/Baz Ratner/File Photo
Lieberman served as foreign minister from 2009-2012, and again from 2013 to 2015.
The deal is concerning to some, as Lieberman is considered a hardliner not well liked by Palestinians. He lives in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank and would be very influential in policy toward the settlements. As defense minister, Lieberman would supervise military operations in Palestinian territories.
But, one Israeli official told The Times of Israel that the government will continue to support a solution even with Lieberman.
“If a coalition is formed, it’s important to note that both PM Netanyahu and Liberman support a solution based on two states for two peoples. In fact, it has historically been right-wing governments, like that of Menachem Begin, which achieved peace with our Arab neighbors like Egypt,” the official said.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry issued a press release claiming the Lieberman appointment shows Israel “favors extremism”, according to The Jerusalem Post. World leaders have pressed the two sides to start peace negotiations again, as reported by TRUNEWS.
Moshe Ya’alon, the defense minister whose position was offered to Lieberman, made comments about the move.
“Our moral compass for basic questions has been lost,” he said.
The post Hardliner to lead defense ministry in Israel – Palestinians mad appeared first on TRUNEWS with Rick Wiles.
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