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Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman. (Daniel Bar-On)
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Last update - 00:00 08/11/2007
Higher Arab Monitoring Committee tells gov't to dismiss Lieberman
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent and Haaretz Service
Tags: national service 

The Higher Arab Monitoring Committee asked the government on Thursday to dismiss Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman over his demand to outlaw the senior Israeli Arab leadership council, Israel Radio reported.

A statement released by the committee said that Lieberman, a "new emigre," is himself a strategic threat to Jews and Arabs in Israel.

Lieberman, chairman of Yisrael Beiteinu, told Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Wednesday to act upon the authority granted to him under the State of Emergency statute passed in 1945 under the British Mandate. The regulations defined by the statute allot the government overriding authority on a wide range of issues. The power to invoke a state of emergency supercedes the due process of the law.
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In a letter sent to the defense minister, Lieberman wrote that "the Higher Arab Monitoring Committee, which challenges the Jewish people's right to self-determination, and encourages continuously and systematically the destruction of the State of Israel - its character, police, and institutions, as clearly demonstrated by the visionary document on the future of the Palestinian Arabs in Israel that they published - constitutes a real threat to the very existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish and Zionist state."

Lieberman slammed the committee for its recent harsh criticism of attempts to encourage the Arab sector to enlist in national service, warning that "actions like these incite hatred and dangerous lobbying for a civil revolt."

The minister wrote that he is "convinced wholeheartedly that the State of Israel cannot comply with actions intended to denounce its legitimacy," and said that Israel must act to condemn this kind of behavior in order to defend itself and promise itself a secure future.

Lieberman's letter enraged Arab party members. "His [Lieberman's] political glory always grew in the murky and filthy swamps of racism and hate," said Hadash Chairman MK Mohammad Barakeh.

His party colleague MK Dov Khenin also condemned Lieberman's demand, calling it another proposal designed to promote the "political transfer of the Arab public," and went on to say that Lieberman represents a threat to the democratic nature of Israel.

Labor MK Nadia Hilou, who sits with Lieberman in the government coalition, also had only harsh words for the proposal. While Hilou is an elected Arab MK, she does not sit in on Monitoring Committee meetings. Her position on national service is not in line with the committee's, as she is a strong proponent of incoporating Arab youth into the program.

However, she told Haaretz that "Lieberman blames, judges and rules. Who is he to rule out these bodies or others? He doesn't have the legitimacy to decided on matters having to do with democracy. The words and actions that he spearheads only promote extremism."


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      1.   Lieberman = Racist + Fearmonger 14:07  |  POP 08/11/07
      2.   Lieberman vs Israeli Arabs, episode 634?? 14:40  |  Abtalyon 08/11/07
      3.   Yes but, Abtalyon 14:57  |  Murray 08/11/07
      4.   Democracy is responsibilty; rights AND obligations 17:11  |  Alicia 08/11/07
      5.   Liberman overdoes it as usual 18:52  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 08/11/07
      6.   re: Alicia 19:31  |  Jeff 08/11/07
      7.   Actually Jeff 19:46  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 08/11/07
      8.   Alicia - notice the blatant hypcrisy 19:59  |  Polybios 08/11/07
      9.   Fully agree with Liberman. Democracy must defend itself!!! 20:21  |  Alex 08/11/07
      10.   #6 Jeff on the "second class"-status 21:53  |  Alicia 08/11/07
      11.   DISMISS LIBERMAN,DISSOLVE GOV`T,ARMY TAKE GAZA,IMPOSE MARTIAL LAW 01:41  |  VOICE of MOSHIACH))) 09/11/07
      12.   Good for Liberman !!! 11:50  |  Kobi 09/11/07
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