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Israel will pay heavy price for Lieberman's mistakes
By Haaretz Editorial
Tags: Israel news, road map 

Anyone who expected that being made foreign minister would refine Avigdor Lieberman's crass manners was proved wrong by his first appearance in the role. In his speech at the handover on Wednesday, Lieberman brushed aside all the peace processes Israel has been conducting with its neighbors for decades. The government, he said, is not bound by the Annapolis process, Syria can have "peace for peace," and as a general philosophy, "If you want peace, prepare for war."

Anyone still searching for some moderation in Lieberman's statement may have noticed that he accepted the road map, which despite all the stipulations and reservations, leads to the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. But under all the belligerent declarations, especially the sweeping objection to any compromise or concession, it was difficult to infer that Lieberman was really striving to reach an arrangement with the Palestinians.

His promise to keep Israel's commitments in the road map, beginning with evacuating illegal outposts and freezing West Bank settlements, is unconvincing in view of his demand for "reciprocity."
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Lieberman's words also contradicted Benjamin Netanyahu's swearing-in speech, in which the prime minister pledged to continue the peace process with the Palestinian Authority on three tracks - economic, security and negotiations on the final status agreement - in the exact format set at the Annapolis Conference in November 2007.

The international reaction to Lieberman's statement was not long in coming. The White House reiterated the United States' commitment to the two-state solution, and both the Syrian president and Palestinian Authority said the statement proves that Israel is not interested in peace. These responses mean that the new government will have to work hard to persuade foreign governments that it is a partner to the peace process.

Lieberman is a political man and has a right to express his opinions. Nor does his new cabinet appointment require him to turn his back on the ideology for which he was elected. But he ought to know that a foreign minister who outflanks the prime minister on the right is ineffectual. The world will dismiss him as an insignificant loudmouth not worth talking to. In all governments, the foreign minister's job is to address international decision-making and propose diplomatic solutions. There is no need for another defense or "strategic" minister, which Netanyahu's government has plenty of.

The state has a bigger problem than Lieberman. If the government is seen as reluctant to achieve peace, renouncing the basic principles of the peace process that are supported by a sweeping international consensus, Israel will find itself isolated. It will have difficulty raising support for its vital needs, beginning with the struggle against the Iranian nuclear program. Israel cannot afford to pay such high tuition fees for Lieberman's education in the Foreign Ministry.

The prime minister has evaded responding to the statements of his political partner, but he cannot escape his supreme responsibility for Israel's foreign policy. Netanyahu must demonstrate leadership and clarify whether his government is committed to the peace process, or merely "preparing for war."


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      1.   IF ONLY ISRAEL WAS MORE LIKE GERMANY 04:35  |  Ziggy 03/04/09
      2.   Did he say "Syria can have peace for peace"? I like that 04:41  |  Simha 03/04/09
      3.   High Lefist tuition fee 04:57  |  Frank 03/04/09
      4.   Israel to pay a price? 05:40  |  Jack Cohen 03/04/09
      5.   The TRUTH Can be COSTLY, It`s BETTER then Starting Out with LIES! 06:28  |  david 03/04/09
      6.   A Foreign Minister 06:42  |  leo 03/04/09
      7.   new ideas 06:42  |  Michael 03/04/09
      8.   Frank - not far enough left 06:55  |  Palestinian Brit 03/04/09
      9.   Lieberman exactly correct,others cost Israel dearly w/bad policy 07:05  |  Ezekial 03/04/09
      10.   As for the collusion of Bibi... 07:32  |  Esther 03/04/09
      11.   Frank #3... 07:36  |  Esther 03/04/09
      12.   What peace process 07:41  |  Svie 03/04/09
      13.   No! to peace at any price. 07:48  |  Jean Van Daem 03/04/09
      14.   Righting the Ship,,, Before it Sinks 08:09  |  George Kaplan 03/04/09
      15.   Leo #6 08:09  |  Dave 03/04/09
      16.   Response to "new ideas" 08:14  |  Nader 03/04/09
      17.   Peace means the destruction of Israel 08:26  |  Chuk 03/04/09
      18.   Haaretz 08:37  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 03/04/09
      19.   No, Israel will pay the price of Oslo 09:13  |  Gilad 03/04/09
      20.   total isolation 09:14  |  tiki 03/04/09
      21.   Lieberman`s mistakes 09:34  |  Ralph 03/04/09
      22.   Lieberman 09:46  |  Marcus Johnson 03/04/09
      23.   FATAL MISTAKE 10:22  |  AMOS 03/04/09
      24.   This is what Livni is waiting for: the heavy price for Israel... 10:25  |  S 03/04/09
      25.   Thank you Haaretz 10:50  |  Michael 03/04/09
      26.   Israel being isolated.... thats funny !! 10:51  |  Eliezer 03/04/09
      27.   No recognition of previous agreements 10:51  |  john and the TRUTH! 03/04/09
      28.   Homer can stop searching 11:08  |  Navy Vet 03/04/09
      29.   The other form of isolation 11:17  |  Tzfonit 03/04/09
      30.   open secret 11:26  |  truth 03/04/09
      31.   Kadima made Israel safer? What a joke! 11:53  |  dudu 03/04/09
      32.   Spot on Marcus Johnson...you are 11:59  |  kiwi girl 03/04/09
      33.   THE LOWEST POINT IN ISRAEL HISTORY 12:05  |  indrajaya 03/04/09
      34.   Let Lieberman have his say. 12:23  |  Stephen. 03/04/09
      35.   S #19... alternative scenario for regret... 12:24  |  Esther 03/04/09
      36.   Ziggy That`d involve admiting the extreme racism views 12:32  |  Maria 03/04/09
      37.   #1, Germany and Israel 12:37  |  Aviva 03/04/09
      38.   #1 IF ONLY ISRAEL WAS MORE LIKE GERMANY 12:40  |  Albrecht Klein 03/04/09
      39.   We already pay the price 13:08  |  Dr. Ari Nir 03/04/09
      40.   Lieberman ..... a point of no return 13:09  |  allang 03/04/09
      41.   Israel rejecting Annapolis 13:10  |  Chris Linthwaite 03/04/09
      42.   The problem is Lieberman & Netanyahu are a mistake 13:17  |  Dutch 03/04/09
      43.   yea but, under liberal regimes we didnt get anywhere 13:25  |  g. lee 03/04/09
      44.   livni 13:38  |  marcus johnson 03/04/09
      45.   ISRAEL ALREADY PAID HEAVY PRICE FOR THE LEFT`S MISTAKES 14:36  |  Jacob 03/04/09
      46.   Of course,those who wish for Israel`s destruction don`t like Lieb 15:17  |  Hastaroth 03/04/09
      47.   ignore the words & look at the facts on the ground 15:38  |  American in NY 03/04/09
      48.   #42 doris and the lack of vision about the real world 15:49  |  vhardman 03/04/09
      49.   Leftie Esther from TA,why don`t you employ a pal caretaker 16:00  |  Absolute Sweden 03/04/09
      50.   #13 Jean Van Daem 16:38  |  John Allen 03/04/09
      51.   to respond or not to respond 17:00  |  michael 03/04/09
      52.   `Good` cop bad cop 17:37  |  Michael N 03/04/09
      53.   #51 michael and embarrasment rather than extinction 17:46  |  v hardman 03/04/09
      54.   peace between extremists 17:49  |  zvi 03/04/09
      55.   George Kaplan in NY 17:50  |  joan 03/04/09
      56.   The leftists already paid a serious price for NOTHING. 17:52  |  Boz 03/04/09
      57.   #56 Boz 18:50  |  Chris Linthwaite 03/04/09
      58.   Lieberman for the record 18:52  |  Big Sur 03/04/09
      59.   #42 Dutch from Maine so Assad is outdated too 18:55  |  Big Sur 03/04/09
      60.   Israel was created, Indrajaya #33 18:57  |  Big Sur 03/04/09
      61.   More of the same to come now 18:58  |  joan 03/04/09
      62.   joan 19:20  |  Stranger 03/04/09
      63.   Esther #35 - You are always better informed than me... 19:30  |  S 03/04/09
      64.   Long live Lieberman? Arabs occupy 85% of Palestine 19:37  |  z, the monarchist, 03/04/09
      65.   Olmert and Livni were WAYYYY more dangerous for Israel.. 20:06  |  Charles 03/04/09
      66.   More of the same to come now 20:15  |  joan 03/04/09
      67.   whats better? 20:22  |  ben 03/04/09
      68.   Pay the price? 20:30  |  RfaelMoshe 03/04/09
      69.   TELLING THE TRUTH IS NO MISTAKE, CLEARS THE TABLE 21:03  |  Jorge 03/04/09
      70.   muslims/arabs cant even get along with themselves... 22:37  |  Sari 03/04/09
      71.   S #58 23:21  |  Esther 03/04/09
      72.   allang 23:21  |  Don 03/04/09
      73.   "peace processes conducting for decades" 23:29  |  max schneller 03/04/09
      74.   There is NO mistakes 00:00  |  Brod 04/04/09
      75.   #60 Brod, it`s about style, not content 00:34  |  Mark B. 04/04/09
      76.   Different title 00:42  |  Bazmann 04/04/09
      77.   GO,GO,GO YVETTE! ONLY YOU CAN TAKE ISRAEL BACK TO WHEN 00:45  |  Freethinker 04/04/09
      78.   Peace , Peace when there is no peace until Messiah ?? 01:18  |  Bill 04/04/09
      79.   If it looks like APARTITUDE, smells like APARTITUDE 02:05  |  Lennie 04/04/09
      80.   Liebermans speech and acts are coherent..... 02:29  |  Diego 04/04/09
      81.   Roadmap is a farce. 07:34  |  True American 04/04/09
      82.   Trade Lieberman 07:59  |  johnjf 04/04/09
      83.   Reciprocity 08:47  |  Mark 04/04/09
      84.   Diego and Apartheid 10:42  |  dovvod 04/04/09
      85.   Editorial threats,warnings empty as Meretz 3 mandates in spite of 13:15  |  Joseph.E 04/04/09
      86.   another Lieberman 13:36  |  virtu 04/04/09
      87.   Lieberman opens a unnecessary debat at an unsuitable time. 14:04  |  Franz von Fear 04/04/09
      88.   Settlements in the bag, North Korean school of diplomacy follows. 15:37  |  Ivar 04/04/09
      89.   # 72 Don..... from London town 16:04  |  allang 04/04/09
      90.   Kadima`s years in power more about illusions than Substance. 16:19  |  Akram Zekaria 04/04/09
      91.   America - the sugar daddy 16:21  |  Littlebro 04/04/09
      92.   yeh, whatever.... 16:39  |  Joseph Weintraub 04/04/09
      93.   How is this for a compromise? 17:25  |  UsedToPostHere 04/04/09
      94.   You hit the nail right on the head #91,and you drove it in! 18:10  |  glenna 04/04/09
      95.   Bill #78 19:51  |  joan 04/04/09
      96.   Dark Days 20:16  |  Vladek 04/04/09
      97.   Keep It Up Lieberman - The More Outrageous The Better 20:24  |  chet 04/04/09
      98.   Will Lieberman`s 1st order of business be a meeting with Hillary. 21:52  |  Sarah 04/04/09
      99.   The Palestinians will pay a heavy price for their crimes ! 00:33  |  Akram Zekaria 05/04/09
      100.   Plainly put Netanyahu & Liberman are on the wrong side of history 03:40  |  Dutch 05/04/09
      101.   not a media darling 04:31  |  Sam Shermansky 05/04/09
      102.   59 Big sur, re your post.... 04:35  |  Dutch 05/04/09
      103.   95-Dutch : Another of your meaningless posts ? 05:30  |  Akram Zekaria 05/04/09
      104.   Right on the mark:100% 16:40  |  Lennie 06/04/09
      105.   Paying an even bigger price! 14:30  |  Mr Bagel 11/04/09
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