Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finalized a deal to appoint Avigdor Lieberman as minister of defense and incorporate his Yisrael Beitenu party, which holds five seats in the Knesset, into the governing coalition. At an event announcing the coalition, both men said they were committed to reaching a peace agreement with the Palestinians. A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told Reuters, “What’s important is deeds not words.” Becoming defense minister was Mr. Lieberman’s main condition for a deal that augments Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition by adding Yisrael Beiteinu to it. The move increases the government’s number of seats to 66, from a precarious 61, in the 120-seat Parliament. The addition of Yisrael Beiteinu also buttresses the hawkish image of a government already dominated by right-wing and religious parties. – New York Times
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