In a daily briefing for reporters, US Department of State spokesman Mark Toner yesterday said that the appointment of Yisrael Beitenu chairman MK Avigdor Liberman as Minister of Defense raises "legitimate questions" about the direction of Israeli policy.
Toner nevertheless stressed that the administration would judge the new cabinet's composition by its deeds. Last week, a senior US official said that the US would work with the new minister, and his appointment would not affect the negotiations for a new agreement on US aid to Israel, and the Toner reiterated this commitment.
Toner said that Washington had "seen reports from Israel describing it as the most right-wing coalition in Israel's history," adding, "And we know that many of its ministers have said they oppose a two-state solution. This raises legitimate questions about the direction it may be headed in, and what kind of policies it may adopt."
"We are going to work with this government as we have worked with every Israeli government that preceded it with the goal of strengthening cooperation. And we remain steadfast in our commitment to the security of Israel and to the two-state solution,” Toner concluded.
Meanwhile, "The New York Times" is continuing its aggressive campaign against the appointment of Liberman. After publishing an editorial earlier this week saying, "It’s hard to imagine peace talks moving rapidly forward in the immediate future, for a number of reasons. But it is entirely possible to imagine Israel’s relations in the region and beyond moving backward with a defense minister who has threatened, among other things, to conquer Gaza or bomb the Aswan Dam in the event of a war with Egypt. Mr. Liberman’s ties with Israel’s own military establishment are frayed," "The New York Times" columnist Thomas Friedman wrote yesterday that Israel was destroying itself, adding, "Soon, this newspaper will have to call Netanyahu what he’s made himself into: 'Prime Minister of the State of Israel-Palestine.'
"Netanyahu is a man who is forever dog paddling in the middle of the Rubicon, never crossing it, always teasing you (“I’m coming your way I’m going to make a decision”), only to remain right where he is, balancing between all his rivals, so that he alone survives. Meanwhile, Israel sinks ever deeper into a de facto binational state controlled by Jewish extremists… For those of us who care about Israel’s future, this is a dark hour."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on May 26, 2016
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