RAMALLAH/JERUSALEM: Far-right politician Avigdor Lieberman endorsed Benjamin Netanyahu for Israeli prime minister yesterday, all but guaranteeing that the US-educated hawk will be the country’s next leader.
According to Lieberman, the economic and security-related challenges facing Israel demand a broad coalition: “We need a government that should include all of the major parties — Kadima, Likud and Yisrael Beiteinu. Other parties are also welcome to join.”
Likud officials welcomed Lieberman’s announcement and said the party would seek to forge a broad coalition regardless of the precondition set by Yisrael Beiteinu.
A Likud statement following the announcement said that Netanyahu would now attempt to convince Labor to join a coalition headed by him, and that a Netanyahu-Livni meeting would likely take place soon.
President Shimon Peres asked Netanyahu and Livni to meet him today to discuss the possibility of forming a “broad” government coalition.
“I intend to make another attempt to convince the parties to cooperate in a bid to form a broad and stable government,” Peres said in a statement. He said such a government was needed in view of the “challenges Israel faces.”
Lieberman emerged as kingmaker when Netanyahu’s Likud and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni’s Kadima Party — which leads the outgoing government — came out of the Feb. 10 election deadlocked and Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu party placed third.
Yesterday Lieberman advised Peres to call on Netanyahu to head a government with Kadima and Yisrael Beiteinu as partners but Livni swiftly dismissed the idea.
“Today the foundations were laid for an extremist right-wing government under the leadership of Netanyahu,” Livni’s office quoted her as telling a meeting of Kadima members. “That is not our way and there is nothing for us in such a government...We must be an alternative of hope and go into opposition.”
A hard-line government could freeze peace talks with the Palestinians, hurt Israel’s standing in the world and place it on a possible collision course with President Barack Obama, who has said Mideast peacemaking will be a top priority of his administration.
Lieberman made his endorsement in a meeting with Peres, who is holding consultations with political parties before choosing a candidate to form a government. If Peres names Netanyahu, then Netanyahu will have six weeks to work out a deal with other parties to create a coalition.
“We need a wide government with the three big parties, Likud, Kadima and Yisrael Beiteinu,” Lieberman said.
“Netanyahu will lead the government but it will be a government of Netanyahu and Livni together.” Livni has indicated in the past that she would join a government with Netanyahu if the premiership rotates between them. So far, Netanyahu has ruled that out and in a speech in Jerusalem yesterday so did Lieberman.
— With input from agencies
