A Blog by the Editor of The Middle East Journal

Putting Middle Eastern Events in Cultural and Historical Context

Monday, August 3, 2009

Lieberman on the Way Out?

The Israeli Police National Fraud Squad has determined that Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman should be indicted for crimes including money laundering, bribery, obstruction of justice and harassing a witness. Also read the backgrounder that asks how this happened and adds:
How did this happen to Avigdor Lieberman, perhaps the most careful man in the history of Israeli politics - to reach the point where the police are recommending that serious charges be brought against him? Human error is to blame. A group of documents that Lieberman forgot at a certain office reached the attorney general and eventually led to the unequivocal police recommendation.

Lieberman's future is clearly in doubt, and it's not the only problem Netanyahu faces.

The Attorney General doesn't have to move for an indictment even though the police investigation recommended one, but if he did, apparently Netanyahu will let Lieberman choose his successor as Foreign Minister.

Now, all you have to do is read the Avigdor Lieberman topic label in my archives to note that I have never confused the man with Thomas Jefferson or even, say, Abba Eban. As head of a nation's diplomacy — any nation's diplomacy — he would be an anomaly, to say the least. But if the man is an embarassment as Foreign Minister and may lose his job for gross corruption, why should he be the person to choose his successor?

Just asking.


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Presumably your question is a moral rather than a political one.

Share of vote in Feb 2009 election:
Kadima 22.5%
Likud 21.6%
Yisrael Beitenu 11.8%

YB has 15 precious seats. Without them Likud cannot govern.

Most likely a cosmetic move to assuage critics. Replace a man but not the ideology.

Michael Collins Dunn said...

Anonymous:

Obviously true, but shouldn't the party rather than Lieberman choose who gets the portfolio. (I know: he is the party. As you say, I suppose my comment is really an ethical rather than a political one.)