Saturday, September 10 2011
by Yossi Gurvitz
Reminder: Netanyahu is responsible for Lieberman
The fact that Lieberman is still the Foreign Minister shows Netanyahu
puts own interests ahead of the country’s.
The most urgent political demand in Israel is the removal of Avigdor
Lieberman from his position as foreign minister. Not the most original
insight, I know, but it has to be said again.
Two days ago, Lieberman leaked his new plan for retaliation against
Turkey, which he claimed was the brainchild of senior Foreign Office
officials. The plan included promoting information about the Armenian
genocide, and military support of the PKK, a Kurdish militia which
carried terror attacks against Turkish civilians (as well as military
targets), and is considered a terror organization by the US and the
European Union.
What can I say? Pure genius. The idea of fighting Turkish denial of
the Armenian genocide is enough to make you vomit. I doubt there is
any country in the world, Turkey aside, who did so much to deny it as
Israel did. Israel’s Turkish interest led to 30 years of official
denial. When former Education Minister Yossi Sarid dared to speak the
verboten words, he was attacked by the security apparatus. When an
Israeli Armenian was chosen to light one of the flares at the
Independence Day ceremony, some 15 years back, she was under
tremendous pressure not to mention the events early Hebrew journalist
Itamar Ben Avi published, which Ambassador Morgenthau tried to
prevent, which Franz Werfel immortalized and which gave Raphael Lemkin
the concept of genocide. If to deny a holocaust is to be a partner in
it, Israel is Turkey’s main accomplice.
The rapid change in Israel’s position is particularly repellent:
Suddenly, it reverses course and adopts the historical truth – for its
own purposes, of course, and after it made every effort to deny it and
made the Jewish-American establishment do the same. One can imagine a
new regime in Ankara, a more friendly one, may make Israel speedily
change its position on the events of 1915-1916. George Bernard Shaw
said all that needs to be said about such behavior; Israel is merely
bargaining for a better price.
The suggestion that Israel supply the PKK with arms is too delusional
to debate seriously. Just thinking of our agents getting caught
red-handed delivering explosives meant to blow up Turks, a casus belli
against a NATO nation, is enough to make you shiver. What does it say
about a country, whose foreign minister comes up with such
suggestions? I guess we should consider ourselves lucky Lieberman
didn’t publicly advocate bombing Ankara.
FO officials angrily denied (Hebrew) that they made such suggestions.
According to them, and they seem far more believable than Lieberman,
they suggested ways to put out the flames. Generally, I think that
officials who attack their elected ministers ought to resign, but
Lieberman managed to bring about an hitherto unimaginable position:
Officials having to defend themselves from being libeled by their
minister.
Lieberman, and this is not much of a secret, does not really act as a
foreign minister. He skips important meetings – for instance, he
wasn’t present in the urgent meeting called by Netanyahu after the
Turks sent the Israeli ambassador home. And he spends much of his time
in his homeland, Moldavia, or in Belarus. Well, if he misses home so
much, shouldn’t he relieve himself of the burdensome offices he took
upon himself?
The problem, however, is not Lieberman. Or, more precisely, not just
Lieberman. The real problem is the prime minister, who does not rein
him in. Netanyahu does not dare to treat Lieberman as he treats his
Likud rival Silvan Shalom, who may have been a caricature of a foreign
minister, but, although he was certainly useless, caused little if any
damage. The reason is, of course, is Shalom can’t bring Netanyahu’s
government down, while Lieberman can. The best Netanyahu can do is say
he does not support Lieberman’s policy. Which is to say, Netanyahu is
selling Israel’s long-term interests for his personal survival in
power. The responsibility for Lieberman’s behavior lies with the man
who appointed him and who can fire him at any time, but refrains from
doing so for his own selfish reasons.
Not, again, that this is a new insight; but people ought to be
reminded of it from time to time.