Netanyahu, Lieberman to merge parties ahead of elections in Israel October 25, 2012 - 21:33 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main coalition partner, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, plan to merge their right-wing parties ahead of Israel's January 22 election, a cabinet minister said on Thursday, October 25, according to Reuters. "The fact they reached agreement should be welcomed by all of us," Environment Minister Gilad Erdan, a stalwart from Netanyahu's Likud party, told Israel's Channel Two television. "There will be a really clearly defined nationalist, rightist camp here." Netanyahu and Lieberman, who heads the ultranationalist Israel Beiteinu ("Israel is Our Home") party, scheduled a joint press conference for 8.00 pm (1800 GMT). According to Channel Two, the new party would be called Likud Beiteinu - "The Likud is Our Home". Erdan said the merger would be subject to the approval of the Likud central committee. Such a move, if confirmed, would further strengthen Netanyahu's hand ahead of the election, with the newlook party capable of winning around double the number of seats of its nearest rival at the forthcoming vote. However, the merger might raise eyebrows abroad. Lieberman has been a long-standing and outspoken critic of the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, calling earlier this year for the ousting of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.   Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads.   Partner news |  Latest news Erdogan wants “realistic road map” for relations with Armenia  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for a “new realistic road map” for relations with Armenia.Armenia-Azerbaijan: Experts launch work on determining coordinates Expert groups from the countries started the process of determining the coordinates based on geodetic measurements.Yerevan says did not expect CSTO in peacekeeping role Pashinyan has declared that the CSTO would be expected to come to the Armenia-Azerbaijan border as an ally of ArmeniaHenrikh Mkhitaryan wins Serie A title with Inter Inter Milan midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan admits that the team have long been imagining clinching Serie A against AC Milan. |
