I've not really known what to say about Avigdor Lieberman's ascension to Foreign Minister of Israel so I've not said anything at all. But I basically agree with Spencer's analysis:It's hard to imagine there's anyone in Israel, including Benjamin Netanyahu, who honestly believes that Lieberman is capable of advancing Israel's interests abroad. Instead, he'll be viewed, and viewed rightly, as an indication of an Israeli turn toward open antagonism with the rest of the world.Of course there's really just one country that Israel can't afford to clash with, and for that reason, Lieberman's first meeting with George Mitchell will be fun for all involved. The U.S. has taken a leftward turn with respect to the peace process just as Israel has taken a rightward one. The central challenge for Lieberman and Netanyahu will be to tell Barack Obama no without actually telling Obama no outright. Arab governments will rightly consider Lieberman's ascension as an opportunity to test the tensile strength of U.S.-Israeli bonds.
To get a sense of how far right Israel has traveled, consider that Lieberman is a guy who Marty Peretz has called a "neo-fascist" and a "certified gangster." And now he's supposed to lead Israel's international efforts. He'll have a great reception in Europe, I'm sure.There's still some talk that Kadima might agree to a national unity coalition and would shunt Lieberman to a less galling post as a precondition for entry. But it's difficult to know what to root for any longer. Israel seems determined to heighten the contradictions between not only itself and the rest of the world, but itself and international Jewry. There are going to be a lot of young Jews who struggle with the question of whether they can instinctually belong to the Jewish state if it is, in practice, Avigdor Lieberman's state.
