Word: arab
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...loudmouth, Avigdor Lieberman speaks softly. His flat, Russian-accented baritone rarely rises above a murmur. He's not a shouter. But when Lieberman talks, people listen - less because he is Israel's top diplomat than because of his knack for saying decidedly undiplomatic things. Lieberman believes that Israel's Arab citizens, who make up nearly 20% of the population, should be forced to sign oaths of loyalty. He has advocated the death penalty for Arab members of parliament who meet with members of Hamas. He calls the Obama Administration's push to curb the building of Jewish settlements...
That bluntness has earned Lieberman the devotion of Israeli hawks and the disdain of liberals, Palestinians and just about every government in the Arab world. In February's election, Lieberman's 10-year-old party, Yisrael Beitenu (Israel Is Our Home), won the third highest number of seats in the Knesset, making him a linchpin of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government. That has complicated the Obama Administration's effort to pressure Israel to freeze settlement growth and restart peace negotiations with the Palestinians. How far Netanyahu travels in Obama's direction may depend on Lieberman's willingness...
There's little chance the loyalty pledge will become law. Lieberman knows this. But by pressing the issue, he taps a growing impatience among Israelis with the country's Arab citizens, some of whom openly sided with Hamas during Israel's offensive against the militant group last winter. "His views have a constituency," says Hanegbi. "People want someone who will represent their fears and frustrations." Lieberman insists he supports an independent Palestinian state and says Israel is "ready to start negotiations without preconditions." But in Lieberman's view, peace doesn't mean cohabitation. "His governing idea is, Jews...
...Anti-Americanism and its handmaiden, anti-Zionism, have long been ideological tools used by the mullahs, both domestically and regionally, to reinforce the legitimacy of their rule. Iran's Islamist democracy and willingness to challenge the U.S. and Israel have resonated throughout the Middle East with Arab populations frustrated with their own autocratic leaders, whom they perceive as doing Washington's bidding. But Tehran's appeal required a fig leaf of democracy: for all its flaws, Iran has been one of the more democratic countries in the Middle East...
...Israel of the majority of the nearly one million Arabs living within its borders, Leiberman suggests returning the heavily Arab-populated areas in Israel to the Palestinian authorities in exchange for Israeli settlements in the West Bank, where he himself lives. This way, Israel can simply rid itself of the cultural diversity that has for so long made it an example to other nations faced with similar situations. And for those Arabs still brave enough to live in Israel after that, Leiberman has presented a loyalty oath, which would require every Israeli to accept Israel as a Jewish democratic state...