Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman plans to hold meetings with the head of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a group which has maintained an armed struggle against the Turkish government since 1984 and is internationally recognized as a terrorist organization. Word of the meeting was published on Ynet.com which also suggested that the the PKK might ask Lieberman for military aid. The proposed meeting, which would add additional stress to Israel’s tense relationship with Turkey following Turkey’s recent decision to expel Israel’s ambassador from Ankara, was met by cautious remarks from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. Haaretz reports that the Prime Minister’s office did not confirm or deny Lieberman’s retaliatory plan but called for restraint with regards to statements concerning Israel’s relationship with Turkey, stating, “Our policy was and remains to prevent a breakdown of relations with Turkey and easing the tensions between the countries.”
Words fail. Netanyahu obviously doesn't to "prevent a breakdown of relations with Turkey." If he did, he would publicly flog Lieberman for even thinking of meeting with the PKK, especially while Turkey is (brutally) waging an offensive against the terrorist group. It would be like Jordan's King Abdullah meeting with Hezbollah representatives during a resumption of Hezbollah/Lebanon/Israeli hostilities.
There's this crazy idea out there that Avigdor Lieberman doesn't merit a lot of attention because on the big issues (Russia, the U.S., the U.N.), Netanyahu personalizes diplomacy. I imagine that's because of the embarrassment Israelis feel that a racist like Lieberman could actually be a cabinet minister. But guess what: he's the Israeli foreign minister. It's a shonda of shondas. Netanyahu keeps him around because he needs Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu. That tells you about everything you need to know about Netanyahu.
Yep.
And you really have to wonder - if it came down to something that was just a deal breaker, something foul and brutal and ethnic Lieberman simply HAD to have or he'd take his noose and go home, would Netanyahu eventually cave?
Signs and portents point to yes...
Posted by: mikey | 09/12/2011 at 11:36 AM
I think the ugly question that we Diaspora Jews need to be asking ourselves is: where, precisely, is the constituency inside Israel that's going to bring Bibi to heel, and if that constituency flat out does not exist, well, what then?
(This is, of course, a rhetorical question designed to lead the reader to the author's conclusion, which is: fuck these people, let them do their ethnic cleansing on their own time and dollar, if they can actually afford it which I fucking well doubt.)
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