Israeli News: A Daily Analysis

Today a lone Arab terrorist entered the settlement of Bat Ayin on the outskirts of the Etzion bloc armed with a small axe and killed a 13 year boy and wounded a seven year old boy. Security sources believe that the terrorist was acting alone. The settlers blame Israel’s recent relaxation of travel on the West Bank for the attack, while others blame the Minister of Foreign Relations Lieberman’s remark yesterday for causing additional incitement. Of course the most immediate cause may be the ideological opposition of the settlement to building a fence around itself. This made the members of the settlement sitting ducks.

The Arab world covered closely Lieberman’s speech yesterday and it was carried live on Al Jazeera. The most endangered by the speech is Abu Mazen; since the Annapolis process was designed to prop up Abu Mazen, with that gone he is in even deeper trouble. The Israeli news was full of the world’s reaction to Lieberman’s speech and none of it was pretty.

Today Lieberman was questioned for seven hours by the police. They have evidence that companies funneled large sums of money to Lieberman through his daughter’s company. Lieberman claims that he received the money legally during a period when he was working for his 21 year old (at the time) daughter’s company. The timing of the investigation has raised various questions. Why did the police wait until the day after he was sworn in to investigate him? According to police sources they were advised not to interrogate him during either the election campaign or during the coalition negotiations so as not to be accused of interfering with the democratic process. Lieberman supporters claim it was because of his “honest remarks” yesterday. If you want to be depressed, read Leon Wiesenthal piece in the New Republic