Netanyahu’s government in Israel to move to far right
Israeli PM Solidifies Bloc With Lieberman - Middle East - Al Jazeera English
Binyamin Netanyahu announces union with far-right party in advance of January 2013 parliamentary elections.
Israel’s prime minister has announced he will join forces with his hard-line foreign minister in upcoming elections, instantly cementing a hawkish new bloc that now appears poised to lead the country.
The deal between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party and Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beitenu makes the new ticket the clear front-runner in January’s poll.
“We are facing great challenges and this is the time to unite forces for the sake of Israel,” Netanyahu said at a news conference. “Therefore Likud and Yisrael Beitenu will run together on the same ticket in the next elections.”
“We are asking for a mandate from the public to lead Israel against security threats, above all preventing Iran from arming itself with nuclear weapons and the struggle against terror,” he said.
The arrangement could also give the ultranationalist foreign minister, a staunch opponent of concessions to the Palestinians, a major say in any future peace efforts.
It also raises speculation that centrist opposition parties will be compelled to come together as well.
