Police grill Lieberman for second time in three days

About 1,000 of these documents were confiscated from Lieberman’s attorney’s office. Some 2,500 additional ones were gathered by the investigation team in Cyprus. These detail the activities of various companies that constituted part of Lieberman and his colleagues’ laundering network. They include bank documents listing money transfers and several accounts allegedly opened by Lieberman’s associates.

The detectives believe they have evidence tying Lieberman to the money transfers made to the Cyprus accounts.

For full article, visit http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1076264.html

Lieberman: Israel not bound by Annapolis

“There is one document that obligates us – and that’s not the Annapolis conference, it has no validity,” Lieberman said in a speech, referring to a 2007 gathering in Annapolis, Maryland attended by participants from about 40 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Syria and Indonesia.

For full article, visit http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1075510.html

Haaretz poll: 54% of public dissatisfied with new government

The problem could also be the friction that accompanied the government’s formation; two key cabinet members are suffering embarrassingly low support ratings. Netanyahu, who dreamed for a decade about returning to the Prime Minister’s Bureau, will have to work hard and fast to show he is productive. The most striking result of the Haaretz-Dialog poll, conducted under Prof. Camil Fuchs of the statistics department at Tel Aviv University, is the extent of the public’s dissatisfaction with the new government. Less than a third of those surveyed said they are satisfied with Netanyahu’s government. More than half, 54 percent, are dissatisfied with the new government.

For full article, visit http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1075358.html

Netanyahu sworn in as Israel’s prime minister

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was sworn in late Tuesday to lead Israel’s 32nd government, after cobbling together a coalition amid rising tensions within his own Likud party and with other leading political figures.

Lawmakers voted 69 to 45 with five abstentions in favor of Netanyahu’s right-wing government after a six-hour debate, making Netanyahu prime minister for the second time in 10 years.

For full article, visit http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1075341.html

Netanyahu officially replaces Ehud Olmert, who stepped down amid multiple corruption investigations, on Wednesday.

Speaking on Tuesday, Olmert ended his term with an emotional defence of his premiership, acknowledging that he had mistakes but saying that there had also been successes.

For full article, visit http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/03/2009331203050922203.html

The charter of Netanyahu’s Likud party calls for Israel to maintain control over all the land it occupied in 1967, expressly prohibiting a Palestinian state, thought to be the cornerstone of any peace deal.

For full article, visit http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=36796

Image Source: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1075503.html

“It is not with a victor’s joy that I stand here today in front of you, but with a great sense of responsibility,” Netanyahu began. “I ask for your trust at this time of worldwide crisis of a kind we haven’t known before, and it is with a sense of worry, but also with hope and faith, that the State of Israel confronts two major challenges: the economic challenge and the security challenge. I am certain that the people of Israel will cope successfully with the challenges that lie ahead of it.”

For full article, visit http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1238423647847&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

The vote tallied 69 Knesset members in favor and 45 Knesset members against. Labor MKs Shelly Yacimovich, Eitan Cabel, Yuli Tamir, Amir Peretz and Ophir Pines-Paz abstained.

Knesset Member Ahmad Tibi (United Arab List-Ta’al) was the only member of the House not present in the vote.

For full article, visit http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3695344,00.html

Likud in turmoil after Netanyahu-Shalom meeting canceled

The chasm between Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu and Likud MK and chief party rival Silvan Shalom is growing ever wider Tuesday after a meeting scheduled to resolve the row over the latter’s role in the next government was postponed indefinitely.

Hours before Netanyahu’s government is to be sworn in at the Knesset in Jerusalem, it is unclear if and when the two will meet to patch up their differences.

For full article, visit http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1075193.html

Israel Beiteinu warns it may leave gov’t

Israel Beiteinu on Tuesday denied reports that Prime Minister-designate Binyamin Netanyahu and Avigdor Lieberman had agreed that if the latter is charged with any crime and forced to leave the Foreign Ministry, the portfolio would go to the Likud, warning that if that were to happen, the party would leave the government.

For full article, visit http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1238423647847&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Uri Avnery: Biberman & Co.

The addition of the Labor Party solves everybody’s problem. If the social democrats are joining the government, all this talk of fascism must be nonsense. Obviously, Liberman has been misunderstood. He has been misrepresented. He is not a fascist at all, God forbid. He is not a racist. He is just a traditional right-wing demagogue who exploits the primitive emotions of the masses to garner votes. Which elected politician could object to that?

For full article, visit http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=14958

Will Egypt-Israel peace survive after Mubarak leaves office?

“The biggest question is what will happen the day after the Egyptian president leaves office. Mubarak, who will be celebrating his 81st birthday in a few weeks, will not remain in power forever.

There is no greater Israeli fear than the rise of an Islamic regime, like that in Iran, which would transform Egypt from a tranquil neighbor into a threatening monster.”

Source: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1074224.html

Nimer Sultany: Lieberman is no abnormality

“Likewise, it would be mistaken to think of the rise of Avigdor Lieberman and his party, Yisrael Beiteinu, as a major development or as the main source of concern for the Palestinians. Focusing on Lieberman (charitably called by the Guardian a “hardliner”) distracts the discussion from the real issues to the person of one unpleasant politician who says ignominious things others are generally unwilling to say. This logic seems to suggest that the political disappearance of Lieberman will bring about a serendipitous resolution of major problems in the Middle East. Lieberman, however, only exacerbates an already existing problem, and he cannot be easily dismissed as a marginal case of excess or abnormality of the Israeli political system.”

It would be mistaken to think of the rise of Avigdor Lieberman as a major development or as the main source of concern for the Palestinians.

Source: http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10420.shtml

Robert Fisk: Why Avigdor Lieberman is the worst thing that could happen to the Middle East

Lieberman

“World Focus: I can identify Lieberman’s language with the language of Messrs Mladic and Karadzic and Milosevic.

Only days after they were groaning with fury at the Israeli lobby’s success in hounding the outspoken Charles Freeman away from his proposed intelligence job for President Obama, the Arabs now have to contend with an Israeli Foreign Minister whose – let us speak frankly – racist comments about Palestinian loyalty tests have brought into the new Netanyahu cabinet one of the most unpleasant politicians in the Middle East.

The Iraqis produced the hateful Saddam, the Iranians created the crackpot Ahmadinejad – for reasons of sanity, I leave out the weird ruler of Libya – and now the Israelis have exalted a man, Avigdor Lieberman, who out-Sharons even Ariel Sharon.”

For full article, click here.