Jerusalem, Aug 25 (DPA) Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman caused a political storm in Israel Monday by proposing that only those who had completed service in the Israeli military, or done an equivalent form of national service, should be accepted to his ministry’s diplomatic training course.
The proposal would mean that Arab-Israelis and ultra-Orthodox Jews, who are exempt from compulsory service in the military, and those Israelis who had received exemptions, could no longer apply to become diplomats.
Lieberman said that if the ministry’s legal advisors nixed his suggestion, he would make efforts to see it though via parliamentary legislation.
Five Arab-Israelis currently serve as diplomats.
It is unclear how Lieberman’s proposal would affect a ministry plan, announced some months ago, to open a diplomatic training course geared towards minorities in Israel.
In Israel’s recent election campaign Lieberman, leader of the ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beteinu (Israel Our Home) party, constantly spoke out against those he said refused to share the obligations of citizenship imposed on all Israelis and refused to express loyalty to the state.
Although he never clarified who he meant, observers said he was specifically targeting Arab-Israelis.
Welfare Minister Isaac Herzog, of the left-leaning Labour party, demanded that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reprimand Lieberman for his remarks Monday.
“Lieberman’s continuous intolerable statements undermine the government’s image and achievements, primarily harming Prime Minister Netanyahu,” Herzog said.
“It should be made clear to Lieberman, who is motivated by a narrow political agenda, that his ongoing remarks are not in the state’s best interest,” Herzog added.
Labour Party legislator Yuli Tamir said Lieberman should resign.
“It is unthinkable that the Israeli government will have a senior minister with a racist agenda, which is discriminatory against large parts of the population,” she said.
Arab-Israeli legislator Taleb el-Sana said simply that Lieberman was “out of his mind” and noted that the proposal, if implemented, would be rejected by the Supreme Court.
A foreign ministry employee, who did not wish to be named, told the Y-Net news site that she thought Lieberman’s proposal would never be implemented.
“Luckily, there are laws in the country, including laws against discrimination, and a person can’t change the way of the world with the stroke of one statement,” she said.
“In general, the foreign minister makes all kinds of statements, and I have stopped being outraged by them. That’s who he is, and he looks for provocations. It is not a statement with any thought behind it,” she said.
