Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has set his sights on the defense portfolio following the coming elections in March, saying that current Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon is "not taken seriously." "He was an excellent soldier, but he is not taken seriously as a defense minister -- not by our Arab neighbors, not by Hamas, not by Hezbollah and not even by the Americans," Lieberman said. "He is great at letting his tongue slip and then apologizing to the Americans. His behavior was not good for the country and did not contribute to the IDF's deterrence or strength." Lieberman, who is also chairman of Yisrael Beytenu, said he would request the defense portfolio as a condition during coalition negotiations. He said he was confident his party would win enough seats to allow him to do so, despite unflattering poll results recently. Ya'alon responded, saying, "I do not get involved with messy politics, my actions speak for me. First, we will see who passes the electoral threshold. I am not evaluating anyone, but I know that during elections people use a lot of slogans and spin. The role of defense minister is not about slogans and spin, it is hard work and a lot of responsibility." Meanwhile, Yisrael Beytenu petitioned the High Court on Monday to appeal the ruling of Central Elections Committee Chairman and Supreme Court Justice Salim Joubran that prohibited the party from distributing free copies of the special edition of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, which was released after the deadly Paris attacks in early January. Joubran ruled that distributing the magazine violated the election law prohibiting the distribution of gifts as part of election propaganda. Lieberman claimed that "book stores, like the Central Elections Committee, have submitted to terrorism." Yisrael Beytenu's petition was filed by attorney Yoav Meni. Meanwhile, the Zionist Camp responded to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's comments that he would not include the party in his coalition as there is a "gaping chasm" between them. Speaking at a high school event, Hatnuah leader and Zionist Camp No. 2 Tzipi Livni said: "Netanyahu tweeted that there is a 'gaping chasm' between him and us -- he really is leading us into a chasm. We will not lead Israel into that same abyss."
Credit: Benny Pleban
