Avigdor Lieberman is a Soviet-born Israeli politician who served as the Defense Minister of Israel; on 14 November 2018 Lieberman announced he was handing in his resignation due to a ceasefire versus Gaza which Lieberman said was "surrendering to terror". He served as Israel's Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2009 to 2012, and again from 2013 to 2015. He has also served as member of the Knesset and as Deputy Prime Minister of Israel.
He is the founder and leader of the secular-nationalist Yisrael Beiteinu party, whose electoral base are overwhelmingly Russian-speaking immigrants from the former Soviet Union. As a result of the arrival in Israel during the 1990s of more than one million Russian-speaking immigrants, Yisrael Beiteinu has regularly played the 'king-maker' role in Israel's coalition governments.Lieberman first entered the Knesset in 1999, and has since served in numerous roles in the government, including as Minister of National Infrastructure, Minister of Transportation, Minister of Strategic Affairs, Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Affairs Minister, and Minister of Defense.
“The Gaza sniper deserves a decoration, and the photographer a demerit.”
In response over a video of a shooting by IDF soldiers on prostestors during the 2018 Gaza border protests. (April 10 2018) https://theintercept.com/2018/04/10/gaza-protests-palestine-israel-sniper-video/
Answer to "Why are you always perceived as the bad guy?" "Spiegel Interview" http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,684789-4,00.html
“We won’t be moving people, we will be moving the borders. It’s not a transfer.”
Comment on Israeli-Palestine land territory conflict, 2006, quoted in Greg Myre, "Israeli Official Discusses Iran and His Controversial Agenda", http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/07/world/middleeast/07mideast.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin The New York Times (2006-12-07)
Quoted in Ben Lynfield, "The Rise of Avigdor Lieberman", http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070101/lynfield The Nation (2006-12-14)
As quoted in 'There are no innocents in Gaza,' says Israeli defense minister http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/There-are-no-innocents-in-Gaza-says-Israeli-defense-minister-549173 (April 8, 2018), The Jerusalem Post
