Background: Lieberman's proposal to bring Arab armies to Gaza and West Bank
challenges qualifications for strategic planning post

Dr. Aaron Lerner 13 October 2006

"Also overall security responsibility should be placed in the end on Egypt
(AL: in the Gaza Strip)

"Jordan ...in such an arrangement should give support...including the
issuing of passports and taking of overall and comprehensive security
responsibility for what transpires in Judea and Samaria"

"Thus for practical purposes this arrangement will be, almost certainly, a
kind of two confederations - in one case with the Jordanians, and in the
other case with Egypt."
Avigdor Lieberman - My Truth - pages 202-203

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PM may create new strategic affairs post for Lieberman

By Mazal Mualem and Yossi Verter, Haaretz Correspondents
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/774201.html

Avigdor Lieberman is willing to make do with a single ministry should his
Yisrael Beiteinu Party join the coalition, Lieberman recently informed Prime
Minister Ehud Olmert.

According to the emerging deal between the two, the portfolio in question
would be a new ministry for strategic affairs. In the past, Lieberman had
said that he wanted either the Defense or the Public Security Ministry, so
the new portfolio would satisfy his desire for something security-related.

Sources close to Olmert said the chances of Lieberman's joining the
coalition were greater than 50 percent, although it is not yet a done deal.
Lieberman and Olmert will meet again at the end of next week, after Olmert's
return from Russia.

But the proposed deal is arousing anger among Lieberman's party, since
according to the key used to divvy up ministries to other parties, Yisrael
Beiteinu's 12 Knesset seats should entitle it to three or four ministries.

The deal also faces two other hurdles. First, his bill to change Israel's
system of government from a parliamentary to a presidential one still lacks
a Knesset majority, and Lieberman has made this a condition of his entry
into the government. Second, while some Labor MKs support Lieberman's entry,
others, headed by Labor Chairman Amir Peretz, are vehemently opposed. Should
Labor unite behind this position and threaten to quit, Olmert would be
facing a religious-rightist coalition (Shas and Yisrael Beiteinu) -
something he would prefer to avoid.

On Thursday, Olmert met with Labor MKs Raleb Majadele and Ephraim Sneh, who
both oppose Lieberman's entry, in an effort to change their minds. Later, he
also met MK Meir Porush (United Torah Judaism) to discuss the possibility of
the ultra-Orthodox party joining the coalition.

In his meetings with Sneh and Majadele, Olmert reiterated the arguments he
had made to Peretz earlier. First, he said, rebellions against coalition
discipline by some Labor MKs made expanding the coalition imperative. And
second, the government would neither change its guidelines nor take away any
of Labor's portfolios, leaving Labor with no reason to object.

Peretz, however, was unconvinced, and he intends to convene Labor's faction
on Sunday to discuss the issue.

MK Nadia Hilo (Labor) said Thursady that talk of Lieberman's joining the
coalition is "a slap to Israel's Arabs and to democracy. Lieberman is a
threat to Arab citizens. I want Olmert to explain to me how his declaration
promising equality to all can be reconciled with putting Lieberman in the
government."

Zvi Zrahiya adds:

The cost of Lieberman's joining the cabinet as minister for strategic
threats would be NIS 6-10 million. His appointment would require setting up
a new ministry within the Prime Minister's Office, hiring consultants and
allocating budgets, in addition to salaries for the minister and his staff.