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Good cop, bad cop
By Yoel Marcus
Tags: Israel News 

We've seen enough thrillers to know the good cop, bad cop principle. The good cop is not necessarily good, and the bad one isn't necessarily bad. It's a role-playing tactic intended to break a witness or suspect in the course of interrogation. Avigdor Lieberman's performance at the foreign minister's handover ceremony looked menacing, a little because of what he said and a little because of his demeanor.

His credo did not exactly fit what is currently expected of an Israeli foreign minister. He does not recognize the Annapolis process, and he objects to territorial concessions. Add to that his telling Hosni Mubarak to go to hell and threatening to bomb Egypt's Aswan Dam, and you ask yourself: Is this the new government's position? And was his announcement coordinated with Benjamin Netanyahu?

It's hard to answer that unequivocally on the basis of Bibi's statements. Bibi, you see, said his government is bound by all the previous government's commitments, including Annapolis and the road map. Are the contradictory declarations coordinated? If not, why doesn't the prime minister call Lieberman to order and make it clear to him that he is doing Israel great damage? And if Bibi keeps mum, is that a sign he agrees with Lieberman, or worse, he's afraid of him?
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At a certain stage Bibi and his cabinet will have to make a decision on the Syrian issue as well, for it is undoubtedly in our interest to remove Syria from the axis of evil. But according to what Lieberman says, this arrangement will be achieved without giving up the Golan. This is not the message Bibi conveyed to the American president's envoy, George Mitchell. So where does the truth lie?

If the contradictory statements are coordinated, starting out this way does not indicate decency or wisdom. If Bibi doesn't call Lieberman to order, he will seriously impair his status as a responsible prime minister, who does not want to repeat the mistakes he made during his previous term as PM.

"He who wants peace must prepare for war," Lieberman proudly cited a famous Roman epigram. Ehud Barak did well to finally break his vow of silence and criticize Lieberman's statement.

It is very important that this government not be clever to the point that the Americans start showing their claws. We have been known to misinterpret their manners. When the White House spokesman talks about "open talks" with the president, he means deep controversy. On more than one occasion I remember Menachem Begin coming out of a meeting with Jimmy Carter and announcing "we had excellent talks," while the White House made it clear to the Israeli reporters accompanying the prime minister that the expression "open talks" meant the opposite of Begin's interpretation.

When we make them angry, for example, when we wanted to sell China reconnaissance and intelligence aircraft, we came very close to a rift. Those with good memories may remember with a shudder the sanctions Henry Kissinger imposed on us under the title "reevaluation," or the time secretary of state James Baker refused to meet our ambassador, Zalman Shoval, saying that if we had an answer, this was the White House's phone number.

Gone are the days when we boasted that Israel was a strategic weapon of the U.S. and even saw ourselves, without blushing, as America's frontline aircraft carrier in the region. It's not that we've become a burden, but the Obama administration expects much more of us if it is to create a bloc of moderate Muslim states.

These days, when Obama has a majority in Congress and the world's eyes are on him, we cannot pressure him using our power hubs in Washington. The Jewish lobby has lost much of its strength in the current administration. And if we don't accept the principle of two states for two peoples, even Netanyahu's close ties with the evangelists and neoconservatives, who have lost their power and influence with this administration, won't help.

Lieberman puts a question mark on Israel's commitment to peace and could lead the Obama administration to show its claws.

No doubt Bibi made a mistake in not forming a coalition with Kadima and Labor, leaving Lieberman outside. Instead he got a bull in a china shop and a foreign minister being investigated on suspicions of fraud and money laundering. Netanyahu will prove he has changed when he dares to put Lieberman in his place.
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  1.   Netanyahu got what he wanted 05:49  |  Michael N 07/04/09
  2.   Obama has a lot of power right now 10:14  |  Colin Wright 07/04/09
  3.   What can we rely on ? 10:48  |  Jon 07/04/09
  4.   Israel is what it is, with or without Lieberman 10:52  |  Natallie Durson 07/04/09
  5.   lieberman is not a one dimensional character 10:53  |  harzion 07/04/09
  6.   Facists in Israel 11:02  |  Jeff 07/04/09
  7.   DON`T PUSH OBAMA TOO HARD 11:05  |  indrajaya 07/04/09
  8.   SUCH A BIG MISTAKE BY AVIGDOR 11:38  |  indrajaya 07/04/09
  9.   NATALIE Israel and the reaction to Hamas,Iran,Arafat 11:50  |  PETER SM 07/04/09
  10.   someone special for an especially difficult time ahead... 12:17  |  Welshman 07/04/09
  11.   Think outside of the box for once folks! 13:19  |  Harvey 07/04/09
  12.   Proof Israel rejects Peace 13:36  |  Nic 07/04/09
  13.   Peter SM - Melbourne 13:48  |  Richelle 07/04/09
  14.   natallie durson 15:02  |  saul a. readner 07/04/09
  15.   Another peculiar analyses 15:11  |  Sceptic 07/04/09
  16.   A small counterweight to Dursons obsession 15:14  |  Sceptic 07/04/09
  17.   #15 - Yeah right! 15:42  |  Adam 07/04/09
  18.   Obama and the territories 15:46  |  arik 07/04/09
  19.   Marcus` Assumption That Israel Cannot Say No 15:47  |  Meron 07/04/09
  20.   # 15 sceptic 15:54  |  Axel 07/04/09
  21.   adam 16:00  |  saul a. readner 07/04/09
  22.   What Would This Do To The Russian Lobby In Israel? 16:03  |  Yaakov Sullivan 07/04/09
  23.   saul a. readner to natalie durson on Gaza 16:05  |  Yaakov Sullivan 07/04/09
  24.   Axel 16:31  |  Danny 07/04/09
  25.   ב"ה b"H inyan: encourage Lieberman`s talents in another direction 16:32  |  Esther Sarah 07/04/09
  26.   A legend in my own mind 16:43  |  Obama Clinton 07/04/09
  27.   Yaakov Sullivan- Check out gaza 16:48  |  Christopher 07/04/09
  28.   #26 Obama Clinton - Not!! 17:07  |  Daniel 07/04/09
  29.   axel " are you dumb " 17:10  |  erwin honigstein 07/04/09
  30.   Christopher on Gaza 17:31  |  Yaakov Sullivan 07/04/09
  31.   # 24 danny 17:54  |  Axel 07/04/09
  32.   to Jon #3 - 2nd try 17:56  |  zeev 07/04/09
  33.   Sceptic - Look for South Africa 2, coming soon 17:58  |  Natallie Durson 07/04/09
  34.   Watch your mouth Axel, 18:00  |  Sceptic 07/04/09
  35.   Meron #19 18:03  |  Richelle 07/04/09
  36.   If question is our security or pleasing Obama Security is First 18:49  |  Norman 07/04/09
  37.   On the eve of Pesach 18:51  |  Jon 07/04/09
  38.   Zeev #32 a dialog 19:06  |  Jon 07/04/09
  39.   yaacov sullivan 19:10  |  saul a. readner 07/04/09
  40.   natallie durson again 19:15  |  saul a. readner 07/04/09
  41.   zeev on israel`s military 19:22  |  harzion 07/04/09
  42.   # 34 sceptic 19:37  |  Axel 07/04/09
  43.   axel we all discuss cedeing villages to the palestinians 19:47  |  erwin honigstein 07/04/09
  44.   # 34 "Exchange of land populated by Arabs" 19:48  |  Axel 07/04/09
  45.   Good cop, bad cop works in movies..... but 21:49  |  allang 07/04/09
  46.   Say no to "Palestinian" state, not now, not ever 22:08  |  Baruch Gold 07/04/09
  47.   Bibi is great but Leiberman is disaster! 23:15  |  Dr Eric 07/04/09
  48.   PSm you over looked a few facts--what is new 23:36  |  Labhras 07/04/09
  49.   Psm and some more you forgot--what is new 23:38  |  Labhras 07/04/09
  50.   PSM some more facts you forgot--what is new 23:42  |  Labhras 07/04/09
  51.   #32- Obama Needs Dialogue With Israel Not Dictates 00:18  |  Meron 08/04/09
  52.   To Norman 02:28  |  Titus 08/04/09
  53.   Playing by the book 02:39  |  Michael N 08/04/09
  54.   Israel`s Security 03:24  |  Iain 08/04/09
  55.   One Dimensional Character 03:29  |  Iain 08/04/09
  56.   jon #37 03:29  |  joan 08/04/09
  57.   Once Israel haters see the bigger picturethey`ll look for Israel 03:37  |  ks 08/04/09
  58.   Israel destiny is bigger than the Carter or Obama 03:58  |  ks 08/04/09
  59.   Good cop, bad cop works in movies..... but 04:24  |  allang 08/04/09
  60.   to Sceptic #15 - 2nd try 05:14  |  zeev 08/04/09
  61.   Why are you arguing this Sceptic? 08:26  |  BBSNews 08/04/09
  62.   michael n 08:34  |  saul a. readner 08/04/09
  63.   Lieberman should worry more about the claw of American people 08:35  |  Dutch 08/04/09
  64.   #51 doris cadigan and the same message for 20 years 08:44  |  v hardman 08/04/09
  65.   joan 09:20  |  saul a. readner 08/04/09
  66.   to Jon #38 - 3rd try 11:27  |  zeev 08/04/09
  67.   to saul a. readner #14 - 3rd try 11:30  |  zeev 08/04/09
  68.   zeev 09:08  |  saul a. readner 09/04/09
  69.   :People have to reconcile or not interact 13:31  |  Dov Ber 12/04/09
  70.   to saul a. readner #68 09:26  |  zeev 22/04/09
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