Police grill Israeli Foreign Minister, again

Avigdor Lieberman is having quite a busy first week in office... After seeming to scuttle hopes for Israeli-Palestinian peace on his first day as Foreign Minister, he's spent days two and three being grilled by the police over bribery and corruption charges. Similar charges have dogged Lieberman in the past, but I can't help but wonder if there's more here than meets the eye.

Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel Our Home) Party finished third in February's elections. Since the top vote-getter, the Kadima Party, refused to enter into a coalition government with Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party, he needed to get Lieberman's support if he was going to build enough support to form a governing coalition.

But Lieberman has a reputation as being a harsh ultra-nationalist - and that's the kind view of him, he's also been called an outright racist accused of supporting the idea of ethnically-cleansing the West Bank and Gaza of Palestinians. With Lieberman as part of the government (Foreign Minister no less, the position he insisted on getting as part of the coalition deal), the Peace Process would seem to be on hold for the foreseeable future.

Of course if Lieberman was indicted... Maybe I am being Machiavellian here, but it would seem to be a great way for Netanyahu to get the benefits of Lieberman's support (his party's backing), without the baggage (Lieberman himself). Maybe the question isn’t if I’m being Machiavellian, but is Benjamin Netanyahu?