@ben-david He can be harsh as long as he is effective. If he manages to isolate Israel in the world spectrum (which, given the love the world has for Israel currently, wouldn’t be too hard), it might be worse, in spite of his honesty and clear-cut mandate.

@Tom Morissey and themiddle Too bad he doesn’t have as many lovable gaffes as Biden. I am always on edge waiting to see what Joe says next.

Nothing but contempt and mounting violence.

The Palestinians have completely taken over and twisted the terms of discussion.

Lieberman and Netanyahu have received as strong a mandate as Israel’s fractured polis and electoral system can deliver.

“Harsh” words are necessary to reset and recalibrate the debate.

Being “shocked” and “dismayed” is a stock technique of PC victimology politics – the means by which left-wingers control debate before it even happens.

I hope he keeps opening is mouth.

Germany’s had the fastest-growing Jewish community (1,000% growth) over the past fifteen or so years mostly due to migrants from the former Soviet Union, so there may be ways to connect on that level. So far, German news have been little concerned with Lieberman, and a CDU-dominated government in general is most adamantly pro-Israel and supportive of Israel’s domestic policies. Yet, several of his statements are not tolerable in democratic states that aim to ensure civil rights, so he might want to reconsider his role as a representative of a democratic state and the values such a state generally adheres to or he will have to deal with a lot of criticism that won’t do Israel much good in foreign perception. (Germany’s Israel’s second-most important partner in export trade; some German chains make it a point to buy Israeli products even if they cost more than others – it certainly would be fatal for the Israeli economy if those stores decided to pull Israeli products out of their lines just because a person with extreme political views stepped over the boundaries of what is generally perceived bearable here.)

You are correct when you write, “When you write, “None of this is alarming in that this is the sort of talk you would hear around many a Brooklyn-area dinner table,” you may be accurately depicting a particular group and their views, but you have to remember that many of those views are not mainstream either in Israel and especially not in Europe or the US.”

It seems he’s already softening his stance on Palestinian statehood, and I’m interested to see how much else he changes as he continued to be in office. It’s not easy being loyal to your constituency when you are under pressure of larger fish, something that politicians are always struggling with.

@noah david simon Um, what?

@Tom Morissey He is a function of the new state now, it would be bad form for Europe to ignore him. The more he is forced to talk to other countries, the less radical he may be perceived.

If he thinks he’s going to charm the Europeans, good luck. When you write, “None of this is alarming in that this is the sort of talk you would hear around many a Brooklyn-area dinner table,” you may be accurately depicting a particular group and their views, but you have to remember that many of those views are not mainstream either in Israel and especially not in Europe or the US.

Politicians often find that their rhetoric when they were in opposition cannot be sustained or converted into policy once they are elected into the ruling government. Lieberman is learning this right now, but he’s also starting from behind and has a lot of catching up to do because his reputation is so negative in many corners of the West.