News / Palestine

Palestinians slam Lieberman appointment as new Israeli military affairs minister

Friday, 20 May 2016 1:55 AM [ Last Update: Friday, 20 May 2016 2:04 AM ]

Israel’s new Minister of Military Affairs Avigdor Lieberman ©AFP

Palestinians have denounced the appointment of hawkish Avigdor Lieberman as the new Israeli minister of military affairs, saying the Tel Aviv regime prefers spreading extremism and building illegal settlements to peace.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry, in a statement released on Thursday, said Lieberman's appointment to the post by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirms the lack of a peace partner in Israel.”

“The development does not surprise the Foreign Ministry. Whoever follows daily the procedures and violations carried out by the extremist Netanyahu administration against the Palestinian people, [sees] the racist, radical and violent nature of the politics of the cabinet since day one,” the statement noted.

“The inclusion of Lieberman, known for his extreme right-wing stance toward the Palestinians, is new evidence that Netanyahu, as usual, has preferred to promote extremism in his government, which has become, as described by the Hebrew media, the most extreme administration in Israel’s history,” it further pointed out.

Earlier on Thursday, Israel’s Hebrew-language media outlets reported that Lieberman, who heads the far-right Yisrael Beiteinu party and previously served twice as foreign minister, had accepted Netanyahu’s offer to become the Israeli minister of military affairs.

Lieberman reportedly accepted the post after Netanyahu agreed to his demands during a Wednesday afternoon meeting that lasted less than an hour.

Lieberman’s appointment came after Netanyahu summoned outgoing Israeli Minister of Military Affairs Moshe Ya’alon and reproached him over supporting an analogy between Israel's situation and Nazi Germany.

Lieberman has said the introduction of death penalty for the Palestinians accused of carrying out attacks against Israelis is among his top priorities.

He has also called on high-ranking Israeli officials to treat the Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, just as the United States did vis-à-vis “the Japanese in World War II.”

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