Slippery Slope

Outgoing Deputy Foreign Minister, Danny Ayalon, has said that Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman (Likud Beitenu), ”tried to push appointments through the Foreign Service. I succeeded in pushing back the pressure and convinced Lieberman that the appointments weren’t appropriate.” (Haaretz)

(Hebrew – Haaretz)

The Knesset’s Ethics Committee announced that it has decided to deduct four days’ pay from the wages of Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman (Likud-Beitenu) for missing 22 plenum sessions – four more than permitted – in the Knesset’s summer session. (Ynetnews)

(Hebrew – Ynet)

An indictment has been served against Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on suspicion of fraud and breach of trust in the case of the ambassador to Belarus. (Haaretz)

(Hebrew – Walla!)

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman (Yisrael Beitenu) was questioned under caution on suspicion of breach of trust in the case of the ambassador to Belarus. (Haaretz)

(Hebrew – Haaretz)

Attorney General, Yehuda Weinstein, decided to indict Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman (Yisrael Beitenu), on charges of breach of trust and fraud.  The charges say Lieberman promoted former ambassador to Belarus Ze’ev Ben Aryeh without reporting that Ben Aryeh had tipped him off about the investigation being conducted against him in Belarus.  At the same time, Weinstein decided to close the main case against Lieberman, in which he was alleged to have been involved in money laundering, fraud, and breach of trust.  Lieberman was suspected of receiving millions of dollars from international tycoons such as Martin Schlaff and Mikhail Chernoy through foreign front companies while he was serving in public positions. (Haaretz)

(Hebrew – Haaretz)

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman announced that he will support a bill that would legalize Ulpana homes built on private Palestinian land.

(Hebrew - Haaretz)

Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman (Israel Beitenu), met with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Moscow.  Russian news service Itar Tass quoted Lieberman as telling Putin that the Israeli observers of the recent elections for the Russian parliament reported that the elections were fair, free, and democratic.  His remarks were widely criticized by senior Foreign Ministry staff and the Israeli Russian media.

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman (Israel Beitenu) has stated that his party will do everything in its power to prevent the transfer to the Palestinian Authority of tax revenue collected for it by Israel.

(Hebrew)

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman (Israel Beytenu) leaked to Yedioth Aharonoth that the experts in his ministry recommended he initiate cooperation with Kurdish terrorist organization PKK and supply it with weaponry, and that he assist the Armenians and submit complaints against Turkey in U.N. institutions about human rights violations. Officials in the ministry said, on the other hand, that the recommendations were diametrically opposed to those in the “Liberman plan”. “There were various ideas,” a senior foreign ministry official said, “but the foreign ministry’s main recommendation to Lieberman following that discussion was to take steps to prevent a further escalation with Turkey.”

After the Foreign Minister, Avigdor Liberman, said during a conference of ambassadors in Jerusalem that the PM and FM of Turkey are lying, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said in reply that Liberman’s words “only reflect his own personal opinions, just as government ministers have different views. The policy of the government of Israel is only that expressed by the Prime Minister”. (Hebrew)