Avigdor Lieberman and the right wing mislabel

Dr. Aaron Lerner
IMRA
Weekly Commentary
22 July '10

FM Avigdor Lieberman's latest proposal to rely on the efficacy of inspections and other security activities by third parties in the Gaza Strip only reflects the ongoing disconnect between reality and the "solutions" he has advocated for years.

Consider the following policy recommendations from Avigdor Lieberman's 2004 book, My Truth, pages 202-203:

"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."

Time and again Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman is labeled by the media as "right wing".

But is he?

Is it "right wing" to advocate bringing Jordanian security forces to the back entrance of Kfar Sava and Egyptian forces a few kilometers from Ashkelon?

And what of his "transfer" proposal that some areas in Israel with heavy Arab populations be transferred to a Jordanian-Palestinian confederation?

Since when is proposing borders that are even worse than Israel's pre-'67 "Auschwitz borders" a right wing proposal?

No.

There are all kinds of labels one may give to Avigdor Lieberman and his ideas.

The labels "reckless", "shortsighted" and "simplistic" all come to mind.

But "right wing" surely isn't one of them.

Related article: The Trouble with International Forces

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