Liberman’s acquittal shakes Israeli politics
Having been acquitted, Foreign Minister-to-be Avigdor Liberman can go to work without a legal cloud over his head, turning him into the key player in Netanyahu's coalition.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heard about the full acquittal of former Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman while in an intimate meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry, at the David Citadel Hotel in Jerusalem. The meeting began at 8:30 in the morning, and less than 40 minutes later, he heard the dramatic news from the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court. Kerry had the benefit of being in the room when Netanyahu called to congratulate his new-old foreign minister, who is returning to be a key player in the diplomatic process, as well.
It’s quite likely that at the next meeting between the two, Liberman will also be present in the room, and the Americans will have to get used to the presence of one of their least favorite people. The best thing for them to do is to try to repair their relations with the man who will soon return to the Foreign Ministry. They may yet be surprised, and end up benefiting from Liberman’s pragmatism.
The instinctive tendency is to assume that with Liberman in the Foreign Ministry, cleared of legal hassles, the diplomatic process is bound to blow up. But the reality is more complicated and may be surprising, just like the man himself: complicated and unpredictable.
That for the first time in his public career Liberman will be able to work without a legal cloud over his head, turns him into an interesting player in the political field. He can no longer claim a legal witch hunt, he’s free of dealing with investigations and indictments, and can concentrate solely on his political ambitions.
