Avigdor Lieberman’s Brilliant Debut
April 4, 2009 by Daniel Pipes
Filed under Daniel Pipes, Guest column
Avigdor Lieberman became foreign minister of Israel yesterday. He celebrated his inauguration with a maiden speech that news reports indicate left his listeners grimacing, squirming, and aghast. The BBC, for example, informs us that his words prompted “his predecessor Tzipi Livni to interrupt and diplomats to shift uncomfortably.”
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Too bad for them – the speech leaves me elated. Here are some of the topics Lieberman covered in his 1,100-word stem-winder: Read more
Israeli foreign minister warns concessions to Palestinians will invite war
April 2, 2009 by SAF Desk
Filed under News at a glance
By JOSEF FEDERMAN
JERUSALEM – Israel’s new hard-line foreign minister delivered a scathing critique of Mideast peace efforts Wednesday, rejecting the past year of U.S.-led negotiations and telling a room crowded with cringing diplomats that concessions to the Palestinians only invite war.
Avigdor Lieberman’s first speech since taking office, along with accusations by the moderate Palestinian president that the new Israeli government opposes peace, signaled tough times ahead for the Obama administration’s regional diplomacy.
“Whoever thinks that concessions … will achieve something is wrong. He will bring pressures and more wars,” Lieberman said. “What we have to explain to the world is that the list of priorities must change.”