Israeli foreign minister unbearable: Austrian defense minister
Austrian Defense Minister Norbert Darabos says the presence of Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman in the Israeli cabinet is “unbearable.” - In an interview with the Austrian daily Die Presse, Darabos severely criticized Israel's policies, with a special emphasis on the continued settlement activities and the nuclear allegations against Iran. An attack on Iran's nuclear facilities would spark an uncontrollable fire in the region and will create solidarity and empathy for Iran in the Arab world members who are normally among Iran critics and the world at large, Darabos said. The Austrian minister criticized Israel for "pointing a finger at its foreign enemies like Iran and the Palestinians in order to avoid dealing with internal social issues." Despite his senior position in the cabinet, Lieberman is consciously left out of the talks involving Tel Aviv by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and is rarely dispatched for negotiations with Arab leaders. US President Barack Obama has also refused to meet Lieberman in the past three years. Martin Peretz, editor-in-chief of The New Republic, a prominent pro-Israeli publication, has described Lieberman as "neo-fascist ... a certified gangster ... the Israeli equivalent of Jorg Haider." During the 2009 campaign, Meretz, the left wing Zionist party in Israel, released an internal memo comparing Lieberman to "Jean-Marie Le Pen in France, Haider in Austria, and Zhirinovsky in Russia"