WATCH: Syria envoy to U.S. says he prefers Lieberman to Livni

HA’ARETZ

The Syrian ambassador to Washington told CNN on Sunday that the election of Barack Obama gave him reason to be optimistic that Israel and Syria could clinch a peace deal, and that he was not deterred by the prospects of working with Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.

“Personally I believe it is better to deal with someone like Lieberman than it is to do deal with someone like [former foreign minister Tzipi] Livni,” Imad Moustapha told CNN on Sunday.

Don’t fight in the mud, Livni

HA’ARETZ

Tzipi Livni has taken on her new role as head of the opposition with characteristic enthusiasm, but it would be best for her to slow down and focus on what’s important: building Kadima into a centrist party that is the only alternative to a Likud government.

In a speech before the Knesset last week, shortly ahead of the swearing-in ceremony for the new government, Livni struck out at her political rivals, primarily Labor chairman Ehud Barak. She described him as a man “who made his political fortune by fundraising for nonprofit organizations and his private fortune through his political contacts.”

But Livni needs to avoid mudslinging of this sort so as not to undermine her credibility. After all, it was only last summer that she offered Barak a position as a “senior minister” in the government she tried to form. And if she finds herself on the cusp of power again, any coalition she forms will have to include at least some of the parties she sniped at from the podium.

The head of the opposition doesn’t have to express her views on every issue that bothers her or every problematic aspect related to the conduct of the government or its leader. That’s why there are back benches, where MKs thirsty for exposure and media attention are sitting. Livni should let them fight in the trenches, while she comments only on important national matters. Livni’s decision to stay outside the government was the right step to take in order to present herself as an alternative to Benjamin Netanyahu. Now she must spend time in the opposition, without tarnishing her image as a politician who is fresh, reliable and not corrupt. She would do well to learn from Netanyahu, who in the previous Knesset relinquished immediate gains in favor of leading the government at a later stage. Netanyahu was statesmanlike; he avoided attacking Ehud Olmert, backed him up during the wars in the north and the south, and came to be seen as someone who could calm the security and economic anxieties of the public. Livni acted similarly when she said that opting for the opposition following her failure to form a government was a way of sticking to her principles. She must continue along this line. If Livni wants to replace Netanyahu as prime minister in the next election, she must relegate the Labor Party to the history books, and she needs to draw the more moderate of Likud’s supporters to Kadima. And if Avigdor Lieberman is indicted and leaves the Foreign Ministry, she should take advantage of the opportunity and snap up voters from Yisrael Beiteinu. Achieving these goals depends not only on Livni, but also on the circumstances, and mostly on how the government acts. But Livni’s conduct will determine whether it is Kadima or another party that will reap the political benefits. Livni must leverage Netanyahu’s weak points: the peace process and his dependence on the ultra-Orthodox. Just as Netanyahu gained from Olmert’s failures in his confrontations with Hezbollah and Hamas, Livni will gain from Netanyahu and Lieberman’s expected difficulties with U.S. President Barack Obama and the international community. The more the government tries to argue that it is less hated around the world than one would think based on press reports, the more Netanyahu will lose altitude, leaving Livni to look like the statesman who offers hope and is accepted by other countries. On the home front, Kadima needs to lead the call for changing the method of government, which would position it as a party seeking reforms on an issue that matters to its secular voters. This would enable Kadima to break up the partnership of Likud, Yisrael Beiteinu and the ultra-Orthodox parties and to depict Netanyahu as someone who avoids taking steps that are important for the country, preferring instead to protect a failed and hated method of government because he is totally dependent on Shas. In dealing with Labor, Livni must adopt the strategy she followed during the election campaign: ignore it. Labor’s ability to self-destruct is much more powerful than anything Kadima can do to it. Livni needs to let Yuli Tamir and Shelly Yachimovich attack Barak and depict him and his colleagues in government as spineless self-aggrandizers. If Labor splits, as it is expected to do, some of its parts will head toward Kadima at no cost. Livni needs to preserve her image as the security hard-liner of Kadima. Therefore, she must back the military decisions of Netanyahu and Barak, especially if they attack Iran, rather than looking like she opposes the use of force. And if Netanyahu surprises with daring peace moves, the parliamentary majority provided by Kadima will enable him to pass any related legislation. Kadima can live and prosper without being in government. The party has experienced opposition figures on board who have seen many ups and downs, like Haim Ramon and Tzachi Hanegbi. They will be in a position to remind Livni of the lesson of Ariel Sharon: Politics is a wheel, and those who wait their turn and don’t make too many mistakes will, in the end, find their way back to the top.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1077230.html

Livni condemns new Israel leaders

BBC NEWS

02 April 2009

Israel’s former chief peace negotiator says the way the new government is talking shows it will not be a partner for peace with the Palestinians.

Tzipi Livni’s criticism follows the rejection by her successor as foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, of recent US-backed efforts towards a peace deal.

“What happened is that the government announced that Israel is not relevant, is not a partner,” she said.

New PM Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to seek peace but has not detailed how.

Ms Livni’s centrist Kadima party came narrowly ahead of Mr Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud in the February election, but he was asked to form a coalition as right-leaning parties predominated.

In his speech on Wednesday, at a foreign ministry handover attended by Ms Livni, the ultra-nationalist Mr Lieberman said Israel was not bound by the Annapolis accords agreed with the Palestinians and the Bush administration in November 2007.

He said the only legitimate document was another US-sponsored deal, the Road Map peace plan of 2003, because he said it was ratified by the Israeli government and the UN Security Council.

Israeli Parliament Approves Netanyahu as Prime Minister

WASHINGTON POST

JERUSALEM, March 31 — Israel’s parliament on Tuesday approved Binyamin Netanyahu as prime minister, ushering in a government at odds with international expectations that Israel should pursue negotiations that would lead to an independent Palestinian state.

Netanyahu’s government — a coalition that includes nationalist, ultra-Orthodox and social democratic factions, as well as his own Likud party — says it represents an electorate that has soured on peace talks with the Palestinians, grown weary over rocket fire from Islamist groups in the Gaza Strip, and become increasingly worried about Iranian influence and nuclear technology.

Israele, via libera al governo Netanyahu

CORRIERE DELLA SERA

L’esecutivo ha ottenuto la fiducia con 69 voti a favore

Il premier: «Pace possibile con i palestinesi». Ma nessun riferimento a uno Stato indipendente

GERUSALEMME - Via libera della Knesset al governo di Benjamin Netanyahu. L’esecutivo ha ottenuto la fiducia con 69 voti a favore, 45 contrari e 5 astensioni. Nel suo discorso d’investitura, il neo-premier israeliano si è detto pronto a negoziare la pace con i palestinesi, senza però fare riferimenti a uno Stato palestinese indipendente.

Livni: New government is bad for Israel

HA’ARETZ

Opposition leader Tzipi Livni on Tuesday wished success to the incoming coalition as it prepared to be sworn in at the Knesset in Jerusalem, but quickly added that the deal under which the government had been assembled would “not benefit the state at all.”

Livni, who lost out on the opportunity to form the new government despite her Kadima party’s slim win in the February elections, told lawmakers on Tuesday that the opposition under her leadership would act responsibly.

Israel’s 32nd government sworn in at Knesset plenum

Mar. 31, 2009
Shelly Paz and Tovah Lazaroff , THE JERUSALEM POST

Israel seeks peace with the entire Arab and Muslim world but continues to be threatened by the forces of Islamic extremists, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said several hours before he was sworn in Tuesday evening.

He took the oath of office just before midnight, after the Knesset voted 69-45 to approve the new government.

Israel MPs set to vote on cabinet

BBC NEWS

31 March 2009

Israel’s parliament has begun a special session to vote on the appointment of a new coalition cabinet led by Prime Minster-designate, Benjamin Netanyahu.

Mr Netanyahu, leader of the right-wing Likud party, is expected to be sworn into office following the vote.

The cabinet is one of Israel’s largest, with hard-liner Avigdor Lieberman as foreign minister and Labour veteran Ehud Barak as minister or defence.

Analysts say Iran’s nuclear programme is likely to top its security agenda.

Western states have voiced concern at the coalition’s likely stance on a two-state solution with the Palestinians.

Speaking to the Knesset before being sworn in, Mr Netanyahu said these were “not normal times” for Israel but asked the parliament to trust him “at this time of global crisis, the likes of which we have not had in years”.

“Israel finds itself facing two enormous challenges: an economic challenge, and a security challenge. These two crises have come at time of great international change,” he said.

Netanyahu and Shalom finally meet, just before coalition sworn in

HAARETZ

The chasm between Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu and Likud MK and chief party rival Silvan Shalom grew ever wider Tuesday after a meeting scheduled to resolve the row over the latter’s role in the next government was postponed indefinitely.Meanwhile, Yisrael Beiteinu Chairman Avigdor Lieberman is threatening to pull his influential party out of the new coalition if the foreign ministry is returned to Likud in the event Lieberman is forced to resign.

Il «governone » nasce stanco

CORRIERE DELLA SERA

Israele, il compromesso del nuovo esecutivo

Oggi alla Knesset il premier incaricato Netaniayahu presenta la sua squadra di 30 ministri

Un “governone” forte nei numeri, ma stanco, privo di vere iniziative, ripiegato su se stesso. E una coalizione che sarà inevitabilmente di transizione, destinata a gestire in modo mediocre una congiuntura politica grigia, dove non ci saranno forti slanci al dialogo con i palestinesi soprattutto perché non ci sono le condizioni reali per un negoziato di sostanza.