IT is about time that a respected world leader has called for the resignation of Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. He surely has been an embarrassment to Israel, pushing the far-right government of Benjamin Netanyahu toward further extremism with his incendiary and racist statements against Israeli Arabs. In a televised interview with Al Jazeera, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan called the Israeli minister “a problem at the head of Israel...Israelis must rid themselves (of Avigdor Lieberman) and that is surely their duty and not ours.” Such a statement is especially important coming from the Turkish prime minister. Turkey has worked hard to forge relations with Israel, building military, economic and political ties between the two countries. There was always some conflict, of course, but nothing affected the relationship as much as the killing by Israeli commandos of nine peace activists aboard a ship attempting to break the blockade on Gaza. Since then, there have been small steps toward normalizing relations again, but Turkey, like most other governments around the world, has found it difficult to embrace an Israeli government which has placed such a bigoted thug in such a visible position. Netanyahu had little choice but to offer Lieberman a prominent position when he was putting together his coalition government. The far-right in Israel has always held more sway than its numbers would indicate because of the parliamentary system of its government. But one would think that even the head of such a government would come to doubt its legitimacy when it is necessary to include such figures for its success. Lieberman has had his moment on the world stage, and, as Erdogan said, it is time for him to go. He is an impediment to peace in the region and only serves to further enhance the pariah status of Israel as long as he remains the country's foreign minister. __
