Israeli minister calls for attacks on damascus

[Scurrilous]

http://dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=3406

<snip>

"Israeli Transport Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who heads the National Union Party in the governing coalition, said Sunday that the military should bomb "strategic targets" in Damascus to put an end to attacks by the Syrian-backed Hizbullah militia.

"In order to put an end to Hizbullah's attacks, it is necessary to attack strategic targets in Damascus, such as the army headquarters, the central electricity board, the telephone exchange, the public broadcasting house or the Presidential Palace, even if this last site has a more symbolic character," Lieberman told army radio.

"It is effectively Syria which is responsible for everything that is going on in Lebanon, and it is through (Syrian) territory that the weapons from Iran reach Hizbullah," said the minister."

[Scurrilous]

1. More from Lieberman:

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/FED27702-1D56-4699-8BC1-3415D354D3B6.htm

<snip>


"Transportation Minister Avigdor Lieberman said during an interview with the Israeli army radio (Gali Tzahal) on Sunday that the "Arabs of Israel" should be expelled in case a Palestinian state was established and Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip were dismantled.

Lieberman, a former Moldovan immigrant who arrived in Israel in 1978, suggested that the existence of a large non-Jewish minority in Israel threatened the "Jewish identity" and "ethnic purity" of Israel."

<snip>

"Amira Dotan, a spokeswoman for the Israeli foreign ministry, told Aljazeera.net that ethnic cleansing was not "the policy of the government".

"I do not know what made him say these things. He is a free man; he has the right to express his views."

When reminded that it was not the first time Lieberman made such racist statements, Dotan said even government ministers had the right to voice nonconformist views."

[tinnypriv]

2. On this topic

He said (recently) that Israel should "Burn Beriut and Damascus", presumably with nuclear weapons.

[tinnypriv]

3. and:

Israeli analysts frankly point out in big headlines that many in the Bush adminstration are "more right(wing) than Lieberman".¹


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1. Ben Kaspit, 'Kisses from Bush', Ma'ariv, 16 Jan 2004. The relevant excerpt:

"Understanding Bush means understanding his men. Most of them are right wing, neo-conservative, pro-Israel (for varied reasons: e.g. religion, Jewish or Christian) ... Many of Condaleezza’s (NSC Rice) colleagues, even more right wing than Avigdor Lieberman, believe that any talks with the Palestinians are a complete waste of time. When an Israeli official informed one of them of the Yassin assassination, he angrily replied, “And what about Rantisi?”

[bemildred]

4. Sounds like a real military genius. nt