Lieberman joins Netanyahu coalition, officially minister of army

Yisrael Beytenu’s Avigdor Lieberman’s on Wednesday morning has signed coalition deal into the Israeli government at the Knesset.

Lieberman, settler and one of most extremist Israeli politicians who supports illegal settlement expansion, will take over as Army chief in place of former military chief Moshe Yaalon, who resigned earlier this week because he “lost faith in Netanyahu.”

Wednesday’s official signing of the deal comes after the coalition agreement was finalized during an overnight meeting between Netanyahu, Lieberman and Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon (Kulanu) at Netanyahu’s office in occupied Jerusalem.

The Israeli Knesset will reconvene next Monday, when there will likely be a vote, followed by a swearing- in ceremony for Liberman and incoming Immigration and Absorption Minister Sofa Landver. The deal also includes an allocation of nearly NIS 1.5 billion for pensions for disadvantaged retirees.

Following the appointment of Lieberman as Army Minister, Israeli right-wing groups sent letters to the new minister calling for expanding settlement construction and banning Palestinian building permits.

Israeli media sources revealed Tuesday that lawyers Itamar Ben-Gvi and Puntus Gofstein called on Lieberman to work for the release of the Israeli soldier who deliberately executed a Palestinian injured young man in Hebron. Other right-wing groups called for stopping the “illegal EU-sponsored Palestinian construction in West Bank”, and expanding settlement construction.

Source: PNN