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Israel

Netanyahu and Lieberman join forces for Israeli election

October 26, 2012 08:53
Avigdor Lieberman and Benjamin Netanyahu (Photo: AP)

ByJennifer Lipman, Jennifer Lipman

1 min read

Benjamin Netanyahu and Avigdor Lieberman are to contest nest year's Israeli election on the same ticket.

The Prime Minister, who is from the Likud Party, announced his decision to join forces with Yisrael Beitenu's Mr Lieberman on Thursday evening. "We are ahead of difficult challenges and it is time to unite powers for the state of Israel," he said. "One ticket will strengthen the government, it will strengthen the prime minister, and it will strengthen the country."

The two parties are currently in coalition with each other, with Mr Lieberman serving as Foreign Minister.

But the deal to stand on a joint list – Israel votes on a party list system – suggests that Mr Netanyahu is moving to the right of the political spectrum, although it could hand them a rare majority of more than 60 Knesset seats. As Foreign Minister, Mr Lieberman, who emigrated to Israel from the Soviet Union in 1978, has been opposed to concessions on settlements and one of the most strident critics of international caution over Iran's nuclear ambitions.