Israel's newest Cabinet minister Avigdor Lieberman (AP file)
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| By: Associated Press |
| Published: November 9, 2006 |
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Israel's newest Cabinet minister Avigdor Lieberman, a staunch proponent of West Bank Jewish settlements, has been appointed to the top ministerial committee on the removal of unauthorized outposts there, a Lieberman aide said Thursday.
Spokeswoman Irena Etinger said Lieberman would not comment on the appointment but said that his views on the outposts were well known. Lieberman has always sided with the settlers against taking down the rogue settlements.
As part of the internationally backed "road map" Mideast peace plan, Israel promised to dismantle about two dozen outposts set up since March 2001, but little action has been taken, with the government citing legal and political difficulties.
More than 100 outposts are listed in a March 2005 government report. They range from isolated hilltop trailers to permanent buildings. Many are near existing, authorized settlements, in effect extending their reach. Palestinians consider all the settlements illegal.
Lieberman's hawkish views have raised concerns that he would use his powerful post as minister for "strategic threats" to block attempts to pursue peace. Lieberman, who advocates redrawing Israel's borders to exclude many of its Arab citizens, has drawn comparisons to far-right European politicians Joerg Haider and Jean-Marie Le Pen.
Lieberman replaces former Labor Party minister Ophir Pines-Paz on the six-person panel, which is responsible for directing the dismantling of outposts. Pines-Paz resigned from the Cabinet last week to protest Lieberman's inclusion in the government.
The other members on the panel are members of the ruling centrist Kadima party and center-left Labor party.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, also a member of the committee, added Lieberman and his Yisrael Beiteinu party's 11 seats to the government to stabilize his shaky coalition, a move criticized by doves and Israeli Arabs. Olmert said it would not force any major change in government policy. |
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