Follow the Road Map

"New Israeli Foreign Minister Bluntly Dismisses U.S. Peace Effort"; By Isabel Kershner; A5

Avigdor Lieberman's decision to follow the 2003 Road Map but scrap Annapolis 2007 is well-thought-out and sensible.

Because of his "unsubtle" manner, Lieberman is NYT's new whipping boy. According to Isabel Kershner, he is:

• a "hawkish nationalist"
• the leader of "the ultranationalist Yisrael Beiteinu"
• and a "racist"

Now, either he is a nationalist or an ultranationalist, but he can't be both. The charge of racism is slander, as Lieberman has never argued that Arabs are not human or that they are inferior to other people. 

Kershner notes that Lieberman has "aroused trepidation in Israel," a remark that is unbalanced and absolute. Surely some feel trepidation, but considering that his party won the third greatest number of votes in the recent election, many must feel admiration for him as well. 

Several commendations are in order for Kershner, despite the previously discussed shortcomings of the article. 

First, she states that Lieberman demands "loyalty as a condition for Israeli citizenship." Others have mischaracterized his position as demanding that Arab Israelis - alone - take a loyalty oath. 

 

Secondly, she reports accurately on the Road Map, which makes "the creation of a Palestinian state contingent on the Palestinians ending all violence and dismantling terrorist networks." With this description bared before the reader, Lieberman's position looks reasonable, though NYT would never call it so.