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Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Lieberman announcing his party's resignation from the government on Wednesday in Jerusalem. (Channel 2)
Last update - 16:29 16/01/2008
Lieberman blasts Arab MKs, pulls party out of government
By Mazal Mualem, Haaretz Correspondent, and Haaretz Service
Tags: Yisrael Beitenu 

Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Lieberman announced his party's departure from the coalition Wednesday morning, saying the rightist party would not tolerate negotiations with the Palestinian Authority on the core issues of the conflict.

"We said clearly that if there would be negotiations on the core issues, we wouldn't be in [the government]," Lieberman told a press conference in Jerusalem on Wednesday morning.

Lieberman, who served as strategic affairs minister in Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's government, said peace talks must address the issue of transferring the Israeli Arab population to Palestinian control.
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"From our point of view, the concept of land for peace is out of the question," said Lieberman. "The principle must be exchanges of territory and population."

The outgoing minister said a withdrawal to the pre-1967 borders would not bring peace or an end to terrorism. "You know what will happen the day after we withdraw to the 1967 borders?" asked Lieberman. "Israeli Arabs will request Palestinian citizenship, and will continue to receive social security payments from the State of Israel."

"They don't hide this - they say quite clearly that they will demand autonomy in the Galilee and the Negev, and will never recognize Israel as a Jewish state," he continued.

"Its not that we oppose the solution of two states for two peoples," said the Yisrael Beitienu chairman. "On the contrary, we support it - two states for two peoples, not a state and a half for one people and half a state for the other."

"We can't accept the assymetry of a Palestinian state without a single Jew, and Israel becoming a binational state with more than 20 percent minorities," he continued.

"Our problem is not with the Palestinians, it is with Israeli Arabs," he said. "[Israeli Arab MKs] Ahmed Tibi and Mohammed Barakeh are more dangerous than [Damascus-based Hamas leader Khaled] Meshal and [Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah, because they operate from within."

In response, Tibi accused Lieberman of being "worse than [Austrian far-rightist] Jorg Haider."

"A government without Lieberman is a government that is less bad," said Tibi. "He gives racists around the world a bad name."

Barakeh, for his part, urged Attorney General Menachem Mazuz to outlaw Yisrael Beiteinu. "Lieberman is not only a threat to peace but also to democracy," he said. "He is afflicted with a severe case of racist AIDS."

Olmert's associates pointed out Tuesday that even without Lieberman, the coalition would still have a stable majority of 67 MKs. Moreover, they said, it might be possible to bring new parties into the government, such as United Torah Judaism or even Meretz.

"Thank god we ridded ourselves from the biggest racist on the political spectrum," Meretz MK Ran Cohen said. "The government must take this opportunity to advance the peace process and remove illegal outposts."

In response to Lieberman's resignation, The Prime Minister's Office said that Olmert thanked Lieberman for his cooperation while he was in the government but made clear that there is no alternative serious to negotiations towards peace.

"In light of the diplomatic actions of late, differences in opinion with Lieberman and his party members led to his resignation from the government," the PMO said in a statement.

During the press conference, Lieberman also rejected the possibility that Yisrael Beiteinu would unite with the Likud party before the next elections.

Yisrael Beiteinu's resignation will now likely shift the focus to Shas, the other right-of-center party in the coalition, which has said it could tolerate negotiations on borders and refugees, but would resign immediately on orders of its spiritual leader, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, should Jerusalem be on the table.

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      1.   HIGH TIME HE LEFT THE CORRUPT POWERHOUSE 10:38  |  Joe Walsh 16/01/08
      2.   Here we have it folks 10:46  |  Nephtaly 16/01/08
      3.   Keep your nerve 10:49  |  Rowan Berkeley 16/01/08
      4.   Good move! 10:57  |  Avraham 16/01/08
      5.   Charades anyone? 11:00  |  Natallie Durson 16/01/08
      6.   One psychopath fewer in government 11:15  |  Clickfool 16/01/08
      7.   Shh-No truth allowed 11:27  |  Kulak 16/01/08
      8.   Citizenship + Social Security 11:38  |  sayitlikeitis 16/01/08
      9.   Champagne is open a toast to Eretz Israel. 11:54  |  Stephen. 16/01/08
      10.   lieberman 11:56  |  elsie 16/01/08
      11.   Damn you Lieberman 12:15  |  William 16/01/08
      12.   Finally, A Politician Keeps His Word 12:17  |  Ben Israel 16/01/08
      13.   elsie #10 12:17  |  ron 16/01/08
      14.   Bring in the Hawks 12:24  |  Logic 16/01/08
      15.   Good riddance 12:27  |  Axel 16/01/08
      16.   Two optiond for Liberman 12:34  |  Bandar Michaels 16/01/08
      17.   Lieberman is SO right 12:35  |  alvaro 16/01/08
      18.   What Lieberman doesn`t realise 12:38  |  Murray 16/01/08
      19.   Good riddance 12:42  |  S 16/01/08
      20.   Kol hakavod Lieberman! 12:53  |  observer 16/01/08
      21.   @16, houdy bander michaelis 12:57  |  vladimir 16/01/08
      22.   reply to #13 12:57  |  elsie 16/01/08
      23.   GOOD RIDDANCE! 13:04  |  Tz 16/01/08
      24.   Like a racist ghost from the past 13:15  |  Sarah L 16/01/08
      25.   Immediate Evaluation: ZERO Accomplished in Lieberman`s Tenure 13:16  |  Ovadiah ben Avraham 16/01/08
      26.   GOOD RIDDANCE! 13:32  |  Tzfonit 16/01/08
      27.   He sees the problem very clearly 13:45  |  Ron 16/01/08
      28.   FINALLY SOMEONE WITH BALLS TO TELL THE TRUTH! 13:47  |  Annie 16/01/08
      29.   Reminds me of the Furor 13:47  |  BillHicksGhost 16/01/08
      30.   Re S #19 13:56  |  Esther 16/01/08
      31.   lieberman "transfer palestinians and their land 14:01  |  harzion 16/01/08
      32.   Is Lieberman a Nazi? 14:02  |  Daniella Harter 16/01/08
      33.   Brutal honesty 14:02  |  Oliver 16/01/08
      34.   Clikfool,your racist officialdom doesn`t recognize Nigerians 14:06  |  Absolute Sweden 16/01/08
      35.   Lieberman for PM 14:09  |  T/A 16/01/08
      36.   Re Ovadiah #25 14:11  |  Esther 16/01/08
      37.   perhaps new leaders could be gotten from 14:15  |  here 16/01/08
      38.   Response to #28 14:19  |  Robert 16/01/08
      39.   The Lieberman Test 14:19  |  Garcias 16/01/08
      40.   Double standard 14:31  |  Annie 16/01/08
      41.   Lieberman Should Simply Go Home 14:36  |  Yaakov Sullivan 16/01/08
      42.   Olmert the Neville Chamberlane of Israel 14:37  |  David Friedland 16/01/08
      43.   At least one Jew 14:38  |  Marco 16/01/08
      44.   For those who compare the Jews in Germany and Arabs in Israel 14:38  |  Mary 16/01/08
      45.   Not so fast Natallie Durson 14:39  |  Jadwiga Westrup 16/01/08
      46.   Shas and Their Rabbis 14:41  |  Yaakov Sullivan 16/01/08
      47.   Daniella Harter and her braintrust bancrupsy 14:59  |  Ofer Maimon 16/01/08
      48.   Sharon in a coma - Kadima entering one 14:59  |  Levi 16/01/08
      49.   It`s only the beginning (lol) 15:01  |  Bonheur 16/01/08
      50.   Peace with muslims..are you kidding me? 15:06  |  Joe 16/01/08
      51.   Mary on the Arabs in Israel 15:17  |  Yaakov Sullivan 16/01/08
      52.   Lieberman: a typical zionist 15:18  |  Janet 16/01/08
      53.   GOOD RIDDANCE - Now get it done! 15:18  |  B`Galil 16/01/08
      54.   "Good riddance to the racist" 15:21  |  POP 16/01/08
      55.   Rather Lieberman Types Go 15:22  |  Moshe 16/01/08
      56.   IT´S A GOOD DAY TODAY 15:24  |  dovale 16/01/08
      57.   Bonheur- another anti-Israel dreamer 15:26  |  Sam 16/01/08
      58.   #50..Joe 15:31  |  Nemesis 16/01/08
      59.   Arrogance and hatred 15:33  |  Ramzi, a Palestinian 16/01/08
      60.   Olmert Working for Nassarallah , They Both W/ Al Manar (Haaretz) 15:35  |  Joseph E . 16/01/08
      61.   the lieberman`s paradise 15:36  |  kaled 16/01/08
      62.   Lieberman, PLEASE read this! 15:40  |  Harrison Davis 16/01/08
      63.   Israeli-Arabs are misunderstood 15:43  |  Rami 16/01/08
      64.   TO: Ramzi - a Palestinian 15:44  |  Joey-an American 16/01/08
      65.   The Guy Said What Needed 2 Be Said 15:46  |  Nephtaly 16/01/08
      66.   lieberman is a strategist 15:54  |  yirmi 16/01/08
      67.   lieberman "tibi and barakeh are more dangerous then nasrallah" 15:57  |  purplehaze 16/01/08
      68.   barakeh "racist aids" 15:59  |  eliyahu 16/01/08
      69.   G-d with a capital! 16:00  |  VD 16/01/08
      70.   lieberman "our problem is not with the palestinians 16:02  |  lord byron 16/01/08
      71.   Bigotry and Truth Sometimes do go Hand in Hand :( 16:03