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Olmert appoints right-wing deputy Olmert appoints right-wing deputy
(about 3 hours later)
Right-wing Israeli politician Avigdor Lieberman has announced he will join the coalition government of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Israel's prime minister has signed a deal to bring right-wing politician Avigdor Lieberman into his coalition.
Mr Olmert said he would appoint the head of the Yisrael Beytenu party to be a deputy prime minister and minister in charge of strategic threats. The deal is expected to be approved by the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, later this week.
The agreement is bound to be deeply divisive. Mr Lieberman's inclusion in the Israeli government will be controversial. He advocates the transfer of some Arab towns out of the state of Israel.
Yisrael Beytenu has already been condemned as fascist by one Israeli Arab leader. He also recently accused some Israeli Arabs of treason for speaking to Palestinian militant group, Hamas.
Mr Lieberman's most controversial policy involves a plan to transfer some Arab towns out of Israel in return for Israel annexing Jewish settlements in the West Bank. One Israeli Arab leader has described Mr Lieberman's party as being "fascists".
He has also described Israeli Arabs who talk with the Palestinian militant group Hamas as traitors. Political survival
Political shift But the Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, has decided he needs to broaden his coalition in the wake of the debacle in Lebanon.
None of those policies are going to be included in the programme of the Israeli government. Mr Lieberman will become one of several deputy prime ministers and he will also be the minister in charge of dealing with strategic threats.
But the fact that Avigdor Lieberman is joining the coalition at all will be seen as a big move to the right, especially for a government that was seen as coming from the centre of Israeli politics when it was elected less than seven months ago. Avigdor Lieberman wins much of his support from Israel's big Russian community.
For Ehud Olmert, this is a way of strengthening his coalition after the debacle of the war in Lebanon. He sees himself as a strongman, the sort of authoritarian leader he believes Israel needs.
But it is also a risky move. For the Israeli government, this will be a significant move to the right less than seven months after the general election seemed to strengthen the centre of Israeli politics.
Mr Lieberman may be disliked by some Israelis, but one recent poll showed that he was more popular than Mr Olmert. But there is no immediate sign this will bring a change of policy.
Mr Lieberman must be hoping he is the leader that Israel will eventually turn to during this time of uncertainty. The main focus for Ehud Olmert at the moment is just ensuring his political survival.